What I Wouldn't Do For You
by Cherry Whisper
Summary: I hate how insensitive he can be, how much of a jerk he is...but the one thing that I hate about him the most is that I can't hate him at all.
1. The Deal

What I Wouldn't Do For You  
  
Chapter One: The Deal  
  
Well, Spira has been saved once again. The chick that used to be the High Summoner had defeated Vegnagun like she had done to Sin when she brought about the Eternal Calm. Things are peaceful, and all is well. The Youth League and New Yevon had stopped pointing fingers at each other and put aside their differences. The sun is shining more often, children are laughing and playing, parents could smile knowing that their kids have a bright future ahead of them...  
  
And I still hate my life. It's been the same, uneventful routine for me: get my ass out of bed, shower, eat breakfast, work, work, work, put up with deadweights who shouldn't even be in the Machine Faction because it's like they've never even see a machina before, work, work, put up with MORE deadweights, eat dinner, lie in bed for an hour or two thinking about how crappy my day was, and sleep. And the thing that gets me is that I wake up to the same stuff I went through yesterday. Life just LOVES playing twisted little games with me, doesn't it?  
  
But I'm obliged to do all this stuff. I'm the leader of the Machine Faction, so it's my job to keep everyone and everything in its place. I was always taught that once you've started something, you have to go with it until the end. So whenever there's a problem, I have to be there to fix it. It's as simple as that.  
  
...what am I saying? Nothing is simple anymore. It hasn't been for a long while. I thought I used to be able to do this stuff without hating it, but now...something's changed. I don't know if it's me or what, but I know things aren't the same anymore, and I don't know how long they've been that way. All I know is that all I could ever think about is HER...  
  
Rikku...  
  
The girl with the bright smile and the clear green eyes that I would love to look at. The one who was the joy of the Al Bhed clan: constantly bouncing around and teeming with life. The one who I loved to tease and torment, even if she grew to despise the way I acted towards her, but she never said anything. Cid's little girl.  
  
And the one that I can't stop thinking about. It's really getting on my nerves, too. Damn her.  
  
When I lived at Home in the Bikanel Desert, I was friends with Rikku's older brother. We would always go out into the desert salvaging whatever machina we could find and tinkering with it later. And Rikku always followed. She wasn't the type to stay in one place, she always had to be doing something, it didn't matter what. We would let her come with us despite the fact that a place where dehydration and famine were common wasn't the best setting for a little girl. Whenever Brother and I were messing around with the stuff we found, she would always bring us something to drink or eat. Even if she never admitted it, she was always worried about the people around her. She'd do anything to bring a smile to a person's face, and that was one of the reasons I began to like her. Really like her.  
  
And how did I show that I had a crush on her? I did what any other little boy with a crush on a girl would do. I tortured her.  
  
I did stupid stuff like pull on her braids, or trip her when she wasn't looking. The one thing that really pissed her off was when I called her "Cid's little girl". She hated being caught in the shadow of her dear old dad, so I knew that it got to her when I didn't call her by her name. She would fight back by pouting or sticking her tongue out at me. And of course, that only made me tease her more.  
  
Guessing how I made sure that no other guy went near her? Simple. I lied to the other kids that she and I were dating. I figured that if they thought Rikku was my girl, the other guys would back off. I mean, I had my good share of fights before. And I would always be the one standing after they all were over. So I thought it was safe to assume that the message that Rikku was MY girlfriend was clear. No matter how much she denied it. As far as everyone was concerned, we were together. And everyone believed me.  
  
...except one person. Supposedly, he must have not considered me a threat because he began to hang around Rikku more, making jokes and laughing with her, and she would smile. I decided not to say anything though, until one day. The kid went up to her and gave her a flower, and Rikku smiled and her cheeks turned red. I realized she was blushing, and that was the last straw. I went up to him and demanded him to back off before something bad would happen. But he didn't leave Rikku. So I made him leave.  
  
He ended up with three missing teeth and a broken arm. And believe me, if a bunch of adults hadn't seen me and held me back, that bastard would've been a dead Al Bhed.  
  
I got turned into the elder, and because of the fact that life just loves playing twisted little games with me, it happened to be Rikku's dad, Cid. Could anyone blame me for being nervous for the first time in my life? How would you react if you were brought before the dad of the girl that you liked so much you beat up a kid for her? Surprisingly, my punishment wasn't so bad. Because I was a friend of Brother's, Cid went easy on me and told me that I couldn't go out on excavations in the desert for a week. He knew about my love for machina, so he decided that not allowing me to go out to the desert was fair enough. I didn't mind my punishment, but what upset me was that Rikku was angry with me. She avoided me for a while and that was enough to hate myself.  
  
I didn't know that she had forgiven me until I turned thirteen. She handed me a present and with a big smile on her face, she said, "Happy birthday, Gippal." I opened it up and found a brand new pair of goggles. She must have known mine had broken the week before when I was finally allowed to go back out to the desert. I was so happy that she was talking to me again that I actually was nice to her for the remainder of that day. After that, the torturing and the arguing continued, and life was good again.  
  
Until, of course, Cid allowed Rikku when she was fourteen to go onto expeditions on the Al Bhed salvaging ship to look for machina in uncharted parts of Spira's oceans. What is it about Brother and him allowing Rikku to go to places where the possibility of her being ripped apart by fiends existed? I opposed to it, but she went anyway. As I said, she loved doing things out of the ordinary and hated to stay at Home doing nothing.  
  
As the time I spent away from her got longer, my feelings for her grew even more. It drove me insane being at Home and having to spend my days without teasing her, so I left for a while. I didn't come back until the Eternal Calm was established throughout Spira.  
  
I had to come back. I nearly had a freaking heart attack when I heard that Rikku was one of the High Summoner's guardians and was going to fight Sin. I wanted to beat the crap out of Brother and Cid for letting her go to her death. I had so many things that I still had to tell her that I was too damn stubborn to admit when I was younger. I had to say I was sorry for everything I had done to her. For Spira's sake, she was going to go and fight SIN, the monster who was responsible for killing Yevonites and Al Bhed alike! She was gonna die, and I wouldn't be there to protect her...  
  
So wasn't I relieved when I saw her in Luca Stadium when the High Summoner made her big speech on a sphere that was recorded at the time. I didn't know where to go and find her afterwards, because the Guado had destroyed Home. Luckily, I met up with a few other Al Bhed and we all traveled to Bikanel Desert where Home used to stand. Cid was there gathering all the Al Bhed, and so was Rikku, safe and sound. She saw me and waved at me as Cid was giving a speech of his own about rebuilding Home and the Al Bhed clan itself.  
  
After Cid was done, Rikku weaved through the crowd and went up to me. She had grown more beautiful since the last time I saw her. "Hi, Gippal," she greeted me enthusiastically as she smiled. "What have you been up to all this time?"  
  
I didn't answer. I couldn't because I was at a loss for words. She had just returned from putting her life on the line fighting Sin, and she had the nerve to say 'hi' to me and ask what I've been doing for the past year or so that I hadn't seen her. I wanted to yell at her for risking her life, but I was so happy that she was safe...  
  
I did the unthinkable and I hugged her. I didn't care that she was shocked or that a bunch of people had seen us. I just held her.  
  
"Fryd dra ramm ec dra syddan fedr oui?" I asked her, still hugging her. I was afraid that if I let her go, she would leave me again. "You could've died."  
  
She hesitated, probably still a little surprised by how I was acting. But I felt her arms wrap around me, her pretty face next to mine. "Cunno," she apologized in our native tongue. "I'm sorry for making you worry about me."  
  
We hugged for a while, not noticing anyone else but each other. I then asked her if she would be my girlfriend, and she said she would. From then on, we were always together, digging up machina and tinkering with it later. I would still tease her, but not as much as I used to. Dating me was a chance for her to see that I wasn't the arrogant jackass I usually was, so she didn't treat me like one like everyone else did. I felt like I was able to tell her anything, but I held back. I wasn't used to all these new feelings, and something told me that she wasn't either. Still, I cared about her more than anything, even if I never really told her. And for a while, things were great.  
  
Then I began the Machine Faction. There was so much I wanted to know about machina, and I wanted to improve the efficiency of my people's inventions. Rikku didn't have to tell you I was obsessive over the stuff, 'cause everyone knew I was. So me and a bunch of other Al Bhed kinda distanced ourselves from the tribe and created our own organization, with yours truly as the leader. Both Rikku and I knew what this meant. We wouldn't be able to do as much stuff together since my hands were tied with the Machine Faction. But she didn't disapprove of it; she just smiled like she usually does and did everything she could to help me.  
  
When I was seventeen, though, that's when everything fell apart. Brother and his close friend Buddy discovered this really great machina in some frozen wasteland, Spira knows how long it was buried under the ice. They did a little modifying and ended up with their own ship, the Celsius. Rikku would go flying around with them helping people to learn how to use machina. Then this whole craze with the sphere-hunting business came about, and Rikku founded the Gullwings with Brother and Buddy.  
  
I really don't want to talk about what happened, let alone think about it. Let's just say some stuff was said, and we decided to split up after that. I stayed with the Machine Faction and she went off collecting useless spheres. Figures.  
  
Afterwards, we still talked to each other, just not as much. I returned to tormenting her with jokes and pranks, and she just pouted. Things went back the way they were before we were dating. The only difference being that I hardly saw her for the rest of that year.  
  
Oh, and that whole deal with Vegnagun being resurrected and coming close to destroying all of Spira. Need to add that, too.  
  
In the end, I didn't see her much. And that's why I've been moping for the past few months now. She put herself in danger again by going with her little friends to fight Vegnagun to save Spira, and this time, I didn't even get to hold her after all of it. I didn't get the chance to hug her and scold her for being so stupid, and it's really eating away at me.  
  
This all her damn fault. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be such a mess right now. If we hadn't broken up, if she didn't go and nearly got herself killed twice, and if she hadn't left me, none of this would've happened. Women are evil, and if you ask me, they're worse than fiends. Pure and simple.  
  
I'm suffering because of her, but I hate myself for not telling her how I truly felt about her. Heh...ain't life a bitch?  
  
I thought it was hopeless, until Brother and Rikku showed up at the Djose Temple today. I stood there, looking like my bad-ass self and greeted them.  
  
"Hey Brother," I greeted, and I grinned when I spotted his sister. "Well if it isn't Cid's little girl!" I teased, messing up her hair as I did.  
  
She just rubbed her head, trying to smooth the long blonde strands of her hair out. "I have a name..." She whined.  
  
"Riiiight," I smugly replied, and then I turned back to Brother. "So, what brings you to my humble abode?"  
  
Brother cleared his throat like he was going to make a big speech. "Gippal, we need your help," he said in his heavily accented voice.  
  
"...okay...with what exactly?" I asked, a bit suspicious.  
  
"The Celsius is having some sort of trouble," he explained. "It has not been flying as well as it should. Something with the engine. I went to Nhadala to see if she could help, and she told me that a team excavated an ancient machina from the desert. She let me take a look at it, and I found out that it has a part that the Celsius needs."  
  
I knew exactly where this was going, so I shook my head. "Hey man, what do you think I'm running? A junkyard? I pay people good money to risk their lives out in that desert to find machina."  
  
The look on Brother's face was devastating. "But I can't find any parts on the market that are compatible with the Celsius! That machina has what I need!"  
  
I didn't change my mind. "Sorry, Brother. But I can't just sell stuff that people worked hard to find."  
  
He was about to say something else, but Rikku stepped in. "C'mon, Brother. He has a point. We'll have to look somewhere else."  
  
"Don't you get it, Rikku?!" He snapped at her. "There IS nowhere else!" He fell to his knees and grabbed my hands, almost at the brink of crying. "Bmayca, Gippal!"  
  
"Here we go," Rikku sighed, knowing exactly what Brother was going to do.  
  
"Let go of me," I hissed, but he didn't.  
  
"I need that part more than anything! The Celsius won't be able to fly again without it!" He emphasized. I always thought that the guy was too dramatic.  
  
"Stop it already. You're making a scene!" I tried to tell him and looked nervously at the people who began to watch.  
  
"I will do anything for that part!!!" He shouted, his hands cutting off the circulation to my own.  
  
Those words hit me like a lightning bolt. "What did you just say?" I asked, hoping I heard the lunatic right.  
  
"I will do anything!!!" He repeated, almost crying this time. My eye darted over to Rikku, who was oblivious to her Brother's sob act. She was just swaying back and forth with her hands behind her head and a smile on her pretty face.  
  
This was it, I thought. The perfect opportunity. Man, I'm such a genius.  
  
I yanked my hands away from Brother. "There IS one thing..." I said, and his head shot up. "But I wanna discuss it with you." I looked at Rikku. "...alone."  
  
She heard me and stuck her tongue out at me. "Pek sayhea," she replied and skipped off to the area near the item shop. She spotted a squatter monkey and instantly squealed with delight when she saw it. She approached it and began to scratch behind its ear, saying over and over again about how cute it was. A part of me wanted to laugh, but the other part began to hate the stupid animal.  
  
Anyway, I had to make this proposal sound casual. I didn't want either Rikku or her insane brother to catch on, so I had to word it in a way that it wouldn't sound suspicious.  
  
"So, Rikku helped modify that ship of yours, right?" I asked him, even if I already knew the answer.  
  
"Yes, yes, she did," he answered, beginning to calm down a bit. I guess he was a lot more confused than desperate now. Guess 'cause he didn't know what Rikku had to do with getting the machina part he wanted.  
  
"Tell you what. I'll let you have the part for your ship if you can convince Rikku to hang around here for a while. I could always use help with dealing with the Machine Faction, so if she could stay here for...I don't know, a month at most-"  
  
"She will stay for three!" Brother nearly screeched.  
  
Cha-ching! I am SO the man...  
  
"...sure."  
  
"Whoopee!!!" The lunatic cried after we shook to make the deal solid. To Al Bhed, once you've made a deal with someone, it's your responsibility to keep your end of the bargain...or suffer the consequences.  
  
Believe me, you do NOT want to see an angry Al Bhed. With the technology we've developed while all those other idiots were praying to a god that didn't exist, no one wants to mess with us. We WILL hunt you down.  
"So, will Rikku go through with it?" I asked, a bit afraid that she wouldn't.  
  
"Of course, of course," Brother shook off the possibility-no, reality that his sister would NOT be happy with the deal we made. "I will talk to her and she will happily agree."  
  
He turned and nearly skipped to his sister, who was now feeding the squatter monkey with a piece of a candy bar she stowed away in one of the leather pouches she wore around her waist. I watched her stare at Brother as he explained everything.  
  
And I was worried about Brother making a scene...  
  
"Ruf luimt oui tu drec du sa, oui zang!" She cried in Al Bhed. Her bright green eyes glared at him, her little hands balled into fists like she was going to go onto a rampage and kill him in front of all these witnesses. "Fryd uh Spira yna oui drehgehk?!?"  
  
"Ed'c dra uhmo fyo fa lyh cyja uin creb!" Brother tried to reason with her, but it obviously wasn't working.  
  
"What am I, a bargaining chip?!?" She shouted at him, not caring or noticing that she had slipped out of our language. "I have things to do, I can't stay here for three whole months!"  
  
Brother didn't back down. "Yes, you will! We need that part for the Celsius or it will never fly again!"  
  
This little bit went on for a few hours. Attracted quite the crowd, too. Even if a lot of the argument was in Al Bhed, no one had to know how to speak it to realize that Rikku was angry and on the brink of killing Brother and me. A member of the Faction told me that after she was done with Brother, she would go after me. He suggested that I hide.  
  
But hey, what can I say? I'm Gippal, the fearless leader of the Al Bhed Machine Faction. I can face anything, even the wrath of a seventeen- year-old girl.  
  
Y'know, I could have stopped the whole argument by stepping in and telling Brother that I could just give him the part without Rikku having to stay at the temple. But I didn't. Deep down inside, I wanted her to stay that long. If she stayed, I would be able to hang around with her more and make up for the time that we had lost. Call me selfish, but the truth was that I still cared about her. This is my one chance; if I let it go, I probably won't see her until the next time Brother needs something. And I can't wait that long.  
  
After what seemed like another war had ensued, Brother came back to me with a huge grin on his face and a fuming Rikku by his side.  
  
"Rikku has agreed," he said. I tried to catch a look at her face, but her long bangs and neat braids covered her emerald green eyes. "She will stay here at Djose to help you with the Machine Faction."  
  
"Excellent," was all I could say, and I grinned at Rikku. "So, Cid's little girl ready to make herself at home?"  
  
She didn't say anything. She didn't even react by saying "I have a name". She just went off to the direction of the Celsius to gather her stuff, or at least that's what Brother told me. I allowed him to go back to Bikanel Desert to get the part that he had agreed to hand over his sister's social life for. To give to Nhadala as proof, I wrote a quick letter granting my permission and gave it to Brother. When Rikku returned with a huge knapsack on her back, he said good-bye and left for the desert.  
  
"Lemme show you where you'll be staying," I told her, and she simply nodded and followed me into the temple. All of the Faction members that had seen the spat between Brother and Rikku cleared the way for us since they wanted to keep their limbs attached. I opened a door that was in the back of the temple and introduced her to the guest room. It wasn't very big and didn't have any windows, but it had its own bed and dresser.  
  
"This all right?" I asked her, feeling guilty that I was the reason that she had to stay.  
  
She paused, but forced a weak smile. "Yeah, this is okay." She went over to the bed and began to unpack her stuff. Her back was to me, and all I heard was the shuffling of her hands as she took out all of her clothes and laid them out on the bed.  
  
"So...you gonna be okay?" I asked her.  
  
Of course she's not okay, dumbass, the cynical voice-aka my conscience-said. She's stuck here for three months because you can't just TELL her that you like her so damn much.  
  
She turned to me and smiled again. "Sure! I'll be okay."  
  
I hate it when she does this. She puts on a smile even though she has every reason to be depressed because she doesn't want people to worry about her. She had every right to hate Brother and me, but Rikku isn't the type to hold a grudge.  
  
"Dinner's in thirty minutes. Get settled in and come out to eat, okay?" She nodded and returned to unpacking her stuff. I left her alone and shut the door, feeling like I had just murdered someone. I knew that she was pretending that nothing happened because she didn't want to see me upset. Rikku never wanted to make people unhappy, even at the cost of her own happiness and even if I happened to be the person that caused this whole mess.  
  
But hey, I'll make it up to her. How long can a girl that I've tormented since the day that she could walk be miserable?  
  
...damn it, what the hell have I gotten myself into?  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
This is my new attempt at a GippalxRikku fanfic. I know it's a little boring, but I promise that it'll get better. Really!  
  
And for those of you who don't know Al Bhed, here are some translations:  
  
"Fryd dra ramm ec dra syddan fedr oui?" Gippal *What the hell is the matter with you?  
  
"Cunno." Rikku *Sorry.  
  
"Bmayca" Brother *Please  
  
"Ruf luimt oui tu drec du sa, oui zang!" Rikku *How could you do this to me, you jerk!  
  
"Fryd uh Spira yna oui drehgehk?!?" Rikku *What on Spira are you thinking?!?  
  
"Ed'c dra uhmo fyo fa lyh cyja uin creb!" Brother *It's the only way we can save our ship! 


	2. Mr Leader

What I Wouldn't Do For You  
  
Chapter Two: Mr. Leader  
  
Rikku didn't eat much when she came out of her room to dinner. Some of the members insisted that she eat SOMETHING, but she politely smiled and told them that she was fine. I sat there staring at her, hoping that she would at least chew a piece of the food, but NO...she really knows how to give a guy the guilt trip.  
  
After the meal was done she helped a bunch of the members clean up before going back into her room again. She acted happy and even sounded like it...but her eyes told me differently.  
  
And they still haunt me, as beautiful as I think they are.  
  
I decided to go get ready for bed. Today was tiring for everyone, especially Rikku and me. Hopefully by tomorrow morning, I'll stop feeling so bad and she would get over all that's happened...  
  
...or will she? It's kinda insensitive of me thinking that she'll suddenly get over the fact that I just took a good chunk of her social life away...  
  
No, no, no! Don't think, Gippal. It'll just make you feel worse. Even if this whole thing is your fault, don't go blaming yourself. It's already happened, so what's the point of thinking about it, right?  
  
...because it is my fault. And my conscience is having a field day reminding me.  
  
I put out the lit end of my cigarette in the ashtray, which was already filled with about a dozen that I had already smoked. It's a filthy habit, I know, but cut me a break. I guess I just picked it up after I left Home, and I haven't been doing much to stop. Why should I when smoking is the only way I know that will help me relax?  
  
I put another one to my lips and lit it with my lighter, breathing in and exhaling in a cloud of white smoke. I paced back and forth across my room, my senses calming down as I smoked. I was restless tonight, so it would've been useless trying to go to sleep. I just lay there like a corpse for a few hours anyway until I actually do fall asleep. I tried my best to block out the nagging voices in my head, trying to forget about Rikku, about everything...  
  
And then I heard a door close outside of my room. I stopped pacing and went closer to my door, leaning my ear against its surface. I heard footsteps against the temple's floor, scurrying outside of the place. When I couldn't hear anything, I took another drag of my cigarette and slowly opened my door. I tried to walk as quietly as I could, but my friggin' boots were so loud that they echoed through the temple with each step I took. But luckily, no one heard me. Everyone is always wiped out from working with the machina that we collect. If Sin was ever resurrected, they'd probably sleep through the whole thing 'cause they're so tired.  
  
I stepped into the center of the large room and saw that one of the temple's front doors was opened a few inches. It was pretty late at night. I usually was the only one who would be awake by now. Curious, I peeked through the opening of the door, and there she was. Sitting on the temple steps in yellow shorts and a white and yellow tank top. Her arms were bare and her long hair fell down to her back. I've never seen it down before she took to putting it in braids and things like that. I always thought that she looked pretty with her hair just down, but I didn't mind it the way she usually wore in during the day.  
  
She must have not noticed me because her head was tilted upwards towards the moon. It was like she was hypnotized by it, staring at it and the stars the way she was.  
  
I remembered when we were little, she and I would go out into the desert and look at the sky at night. Well...it's more like I tricked her to go out. I told her that she couldn't go out into the desert at night because she was afraid of the dark, knowing that she would come. I put out the insults like bait on a hook, and before I knew it Rikku and I were sneaking out of Home before any of the grown-ups knew we were awake. We would sit in the sand and stare at the sky and tried to keep on the lookout for any falling stars. We even made a competition out of it, saying that we could find more falling stars before the other one could. So we began pointing our fingers to Spira knows what, lying that we each found one. In the end, I was the one who won because poor Rikku could only count up to ten at the time. Heh, the advantages of being a year older.  
  
But now, it doesn't seem like she's looking for anything in particular, not even falling stars. She was just...staring into nothing.  
  
"Isn't Cid's little girl up past her bedtime?" I teased her from behind. She nearly jumped out of her skin, probably because I scared her when she thought she was alone. Once she saw me though, she frowned.  
  
"Big meanie!" She answered in her high-pitched voice and looked back at the stars. I saw that the front strands of her hair were still neatly braided. "Can't a girl get some privacy around here?"  
  
"Nope," I replied as I took a seat beside her. I took a long drag of my cigarette and exhaled, noticing that Rikku wrinkled her nose in disgust.  
  
"What?"  
  
She snatched my beloved cigarette from my lips and threw it a good distance away.  
  
"I was gonna finish that!" I yelled at her, but she still frowned at me.  
  
"That's a really disgusting habit, Gippal." She said matter-of- factly.  
  
"Your point?" I snapped, grumpy that I didn't get to finish what must have been my nineteenth cigarette that night.  
  
"It takes years off your life," she said. I noticed the picture of a way-too-cute chocobo on her tank top, and I shivered when I saw it.  
  
"Are you cold?" Rikku thoughtfully asked when she saw that I had involuntarily shuddered.  
  
"No, it's just your shirt." I admitted. As soon as I finished my sentence, she was offended. I could tell by the way her green eyes glared at me and by the little frown her rosy lips formed.  
  
"What's wrong with my shirt?!" She shouted, obviously insulted at my disgust of her sickeningly adorable chocobo pajamas.  
  
"You thought my cigarettes were disgusting?"  
  
She stood up with her hands on her hips. "Hey! I think that my pajamas are cute!"  
  
"That's the problem. They're TOO cute that they're nauseating."  
  
"Well excuse me, Mr. Tough Leader of the Machine Faction! I happen to like chocobos, so tough cookies to you!" And with that, she swung around so that her back faced me. All I saw was her long golden hair trailing down her back.  
  
She would always do this when I said something mean. I didn't take it seriously though. I knew she didn't mean it.  
  
"Aw, c'mon..."  
  
"Hmph!" she answered, crossing her arms. "I'm not speaking to you!"  
  
"Tch. Fine," I said, secretly plotting a scheme to lighten her up. If it's one thing I know that Rikku couldn't resist other than overly sugar- coated sweets and caffeine, it was tickling...  
  
I crept up behind her and when I was near enough, I quickly placed my hands on her stomach and I tickled her under her rib cage. She instantly fell down laughing non-stop, her hair all around her flushed face as she rolled around and tried to pry my hands off.  
  
"Stop it!" she begged me between her laughing. "Q-quit it, Gippal!!!"  
  
"I'm sorry, I can't seem to hear you." I teased her. I had to laugh myself: she was always ticklish at that spot since we were kids.  
  
"Stop!!!" she broke into laughter again.  
  
"What was that?" I sneered, pretending not to hear her.  
  
"I s-said...STOP!!!"  
Feeling that she had enough, I did like she told me to. She sat up from the ground and gave my arm a good punch.  
  
"Touchy, touchy," I taunted, grinning when she stuck her tongue out at me.  
  
"You deserved it!" She scolded, but she had a big smile on her face. It was then that I knew that she was okay. Well, at least better than she was before.  
  
"What are you doing out at here so late?" I asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Nothing," she answered, her vivid emerald eyes returning to the stars above us. "Just sitting and thinking."  
  
"'Bout what?"  
  
She got this mischievous grin on her pink lips. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased.  
  
"Of course I would. Why did you think I'd ask?" I answered with a smart-ass reply. Rikku shrugged her bare shoulders, her golden hair slipping past them.  
  
"I'm-not-telling..." She said in a singsong voice. Even if she was teasing me, I always liked to hear Rikku sing. To me, there was this liveliness in her voice that I found to attractive. Her voice fits her bubbly personality perfectly, but being myself, I never told her that.  
  
"Whatever," I gave up, and rested my hands on my knees. We sat together without saying anything. It was a silence, but it wasn't one of those awkward silences. An awkward silence would be not saying a word to the person next to you because you hate his guts or you just can't find anything to say to him because you don't want to talk. But this silence...was a comfortable silence.  
  
Bear with me here. My senses are all screwed up when I'm alone with Rikku. Always has been. When I was just a teenager and I was with her, my hormones weren't the only things acting weird. I...got these feelings. And I would think about things I normally wouldn't have thought about. Like when I'm with her, I wondered about what her lips would feel like, or I'd ask myself how is it that Rikku's eyes seemed to be so different if our entire race had the gene that gave us all the same-colored hair and eyes. There were also times when I began thinking about what it would be like if something happened to Rikku or if she never existed at all. Old man Cid wouldn't be his humorous self, Brother would be even more of a lunatic without Rikku to keep him in line, and the Al Bhed tribe would be a depressed and serious couple of stiffs, even more than a lot of them are now. And me...man, I don't even want to think about it. My life would be TEDIOUS. I love machina, but a complex piece of bolts and metal doesn't make me laugh or smile the way Rikku does. And it never will. That's been her role in my life, whether she knows it or not. If she wasn't around anymore...I don't think that there would be any use of hauling myself out of bed...  
  
"I know that face!" her cheerful voice rang in my ears. I turned my head toward her, giving her this confused look.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
She just giggled and her index finger rested on the top of my nose. "You're thinking about someone! I can always tell by the serious look you get."  
  
"So what if I am?" I answered, lightly swatting away her finger.  
  
"Oooh," she taunted me, and her face came nearer to mine. "Now who's being touchy? So who is she?"  
  
I tried to look like I had no idea what she was talking about. "I'm not thinking about anyone."  
  
"Awww, come on!" She clasped her hands together and pretended that she was going to cry. "You can tell me, Gippal! I promise I won't tell anyone!"  
  
"Hmmm, I seem to hear a little voice coming from somewhere. Maybe it's just the wind..."  
  
Always the persistent one, Rikku suddenly grabbed my hands in hers and stared at me with the saddest and most heartbreaking look that she could do. "Don't be such a meanie! Tell me? Pleeaaassse?"  
  
I didn't make direct eye contact with her because if I did, I knew that I probably would tell her. Only a handful of guys could actually resist that adorably sad look of Rikku's.  
  
And unfortunately for her, I was one of them.  
  
"Doesn't Cid's little girl do anything else but ask questions?" I messed up her hair like I did earlier, my fingers tangling the long strands.  
  
She pushed my hand away and grinned, knowing that I was hiding something. "Okay, Gippal. I'll play your little game." She headed towards the temple doors.  
  
"Going back to bed?" I asked, a bit disappointed that she had to leave so soon.  
  
"I'm gonna leave you to your thoughts," she said with a pretty smile. "But try and get some sleep, 'kay? We got a busy day tomorrow. Night!"  
  
She went into the temple, the heavy doors closing behind her. Don't get me wrong; I was kinda relieved that she backed off. But there was still a part of me that wished that she were still sitting next to me.  
  
No, it worked out this way. Rikku can't know that she is the one that I think about so much. At least not yet.  
  
I reached into my pocket and pulled out another cigarette. I lit it, feeling a bit calmer as I did.  
  
...but there was a part of me that felt guilty as I sat there and smoked.  
  
I've said it before and I'll say it again: damn her. She plays the guilt card extremely well.  
  
* * * *  
  
"WAKEY-WAKEY!!!" A girlish voice squealed into my eardrum. I shot up from my bed and my eye snapped open. Because of the fact that I had just woken up from a two or three hour sleep, all I could make out in front of me was a thick stream of blonde hair and a pair of vibrant green eyes that stared at me.  
  
"Morning!" Rikku chirped in her perky voice. I answered by groaning and sinking back into my mattress.  
  
She pouted, stomping her foot. "Hey! This is the part where you're supposed to get up!"  
  
I grabbed my pillow and buried my head underneath it. Maybe I won't be able to hear her if I'm suffocating.  
  
"Don't do that!" she cried, trying to grab the pillow with her two hands. She struggled to pry it off of me, but as always, I was the stronger one.  
  
"It's time to wake up, Mr. Leader!"  
  
Rikku must have been trying her hardest to get it off of me, because as soon as I let go of my pillow in my state of surprise, she flew backwards and fell pretty hard onto the ground. But the good news was that she finally got the pillow off my head.  
  
I propped myself off of my bed with my tired arms and I sat up again. I looked at her with my one good eye in disbelief. "...Mr. Leader?"  
  
She smiled widely and stood up from the floor. "Yep! If I'm staying here for three months to work for the Machine Faction, then that kinda makes you my boss!"  
  
I scratched the back of my head as I tried to make sense of what Rikku was saying.  
  
"And if you're my boss, I have to call you something more formal than 'Gippal'." She explained, walking towards my bed and putting back the pillow near the headrest.  
  
"...so you decided to call me Mr. Leader? THAT'S your formal title for me?" I asked, not knowing whether to hate the name or laugh at it.  
  
Rikku nodded, her long braids bobbing up and down along the sides of her cute face. "Uh huh! I think it suits you perfectly."  
  
Before I can say anything else, she scampered toward my door. I was so tired that I didn't even realize that she was in her usual short green skirt and yellow bikini top. Her hair was also styled the same way she normally did it: a couple of braids decorated with blue and pink beads, and the rest of it tied up in a ponytail and topped off with a light blue bandana. The frayed ends of her long red and yellow scarf trailed behind her as she moved to my door after evilly depriving me of sleep.  
  
"There's tons of work to do today! We'll be expecting you outside, Mr. Leader!" she saluted me and left my room as quickly as she came in.  
  
I continued to sit on my bed until the horrible realization that Rikku was right sank into my mind. There WAS a lot to do today, and even though she knew how to work with machina, I couldn't let Rikku handle the Faction alone. I was the leader, like she said.  
  
Half-awake, I began the struggle to get up. I know that I'm an important guy. If I didn't show up, the Faction would probably go nuts without me there to run it.  
  
Hmmm. I just realized something else. I usually lock my door when I go to sleep. But...Rikku was in my room to conveniently wake me up by making me go deaf. Unless she could phase through walls or something, she HAD to have use the door.  
  
I walked to my door and inspected it. I found something on the floor and saw that it was a bobby pin. One of the ends was crooked and bent out of shape, like it was jammed into something and twisted.  
  
Heh. Good ol' Rikku. She's only been here for a day and already things are starting to get interesting. How predictable.  
  
* * * * AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks so much for the reviews guys! I'm really glad that you're enjoying my story. I'll try to update soon. I'm happy you guys didn't think it was boring in the first chapter. I'll try my best to get the characters' personalities in check! See ya! 


	3. Connected

What I Wouldn't Do For You  
  
Chapter Three: Connected  
  
Remember when I gave that rare machina part to Brother in exchange for Rikku with the intention of wanting to spend more time with her? I know, I know, it was an ingenious plan. I knew that I would be able to throw off both Brother and Rikku's suspicions if I said that I wanted her around to help out with the Machine Faction.  
  
And she has been helping out a lot, and doing a pretty damn good job of it, too. Our machina have been improved in shorter amounts of time and even some of the deadweights that have plagued me like some incurable disease have been getting the hang of things because of Rikku's patience to help them.  
  
Well, that's exactly the flaw of my master plan. Rikku staying here has been benefiting the Machine Faction when it should be benefiting ME.  
  
Why in Spira doesn't she stay in one place? Because of her willingness to help people and her endless supply of energy, she flits from one machina to another after she's solved the problem. The only contact that I've had with her is when she smiles and calls me "Mr. Leader" whenever I pass. And I answer by doing what I've always been since we were kids: I tease her.  
  
It's been her first week already and I haven't had the chance to talk to her alone without someone begging her to help or some machina going on the fritz. If she wasn't so freaking helpful or nice all the time, I probably would have been able to put the ol' charm on her and earned a date by now.  
  
...actually, I've had chances to talk to her. I just have missed them...and by 'miss', I mean ignore.  
  
I need to tell her so many things and ask so many questions, but I can't! It's so frustrating, every last bit of it! I wanna tell her, but I keep thinking about how I'll lose the badass reputation that I've worked so hard for since I was a kid. But if I don't tell her, then before I know it her three months will be up and she'll be off flying on the Celsius again. So basically, I'm screwed if I do, and I'm screwed if I don't.  
  
And what if she says no? I think that my ego won't be the only thing that would be suffering if she did. It didn't work with us when we were dating, so what if it doesn't now? Maybe I would be just wasting my time...  
  
...then, why does my heart pound so fast when I think about Rikku or when I'm around her? How can she be the only person that makes me feel so vulnerable? I've been through the Den of Woe and the whole thing with a dead guy's spirit taking over my friends' bodies, but I can't go through this without losing sleep over it. I mean, even Vegnagun was a piece of cake compared to what Rikku is doing to me! She might not be plotting to vaporize Spira, but what's she's putting me through sure as hell is just as deadly!  
  
I took off my shoulder armor and let it slip onto the floor. I felt like a huge set of weights had been lifted off of my body, but I still didn't feel better. I peeled off my fingerless gloves from my hands and threw them behind my back, not caring if I was going to have a hard time finding them tomorrow morning. I kicked off my boots and threw myself against the mattress of my bed, burying my head with my pillow.  
  
I just laid like that for a while, trying to get some sleep when I didn't feel tired at all. I just felt like I was somewhere between living and dead. I always have that feeling after working with machina all day.  
  
For some reason, I was especially tired today. I mean, I didn't even want to eat anything. I just flung myself onto my bed, hoping that I'd fall asleep easily when I knew that I couldn't. Not with so many things on my mind...  
  
It must have been an hour or so when I heard my door creaking open and closing again. My ears picked up footsteps moving against the floor and stopping at my bedside. I heard the person set something down on my nightstand, but I pretended to be asleep under my pillow.  
  
I felt a soft hand on my shoulder as it shook me slightly. "Mr. Leader?" Rikku's pretty voice whispered, probably thinking that I really was asleep.  
  
She lifted the pillow off of my head, and I turned onto my back and grinned at her. "So, does Cid's little girl miss me that much to come into my room?"  
  
Rikku rolled her eyes and stuffed the pillow over my face. "Get over yourself."  
  
I pulled her hands and the pillow away from my face, my eye making direct contact with her vibrant green ones. "Admit it, you can't deny your attraction to me. I'm THAT irresistible."  
  
Again, she shoved the pillow so hard into my face that I was sent flying back against the mattress. "No, you're just THAT much of an idiot."  
  
I laughed and put the pillow aside. "You can't talk to your boss like that!"  
  
"Does that mean you'll fire me???" She suddenly asked with a hopeful look on her beaming face.  
  
I shook my head, amused by her crestfallen expression. "It ain't gonna be that easy. Brother said that you would stay for three months, and that's exactly what you're gonna do."  
  
She whined. "It's not fair! I didn't even know about all this until Brother came up to me at the last minute."  
  
I shrugged my shoulders. "Hey, a deal's a deal. I thought Cid's little girl knew that?"  
  
She put her hands on her hips and frowned at me. "I have a name, you know! How about using it once in a while?"  
  
Ignoring her, I caught sight of a bowl of hot, steaming soup on my nightstand.  
  
"What's with that?" I asked her. She smiled and clasped her hands in front of her.  
  
"You know better than to skip dinner! A leader needs all the nutrition that he can get!" She said cheerfully.  
  
"Sorry, but I don't think that I'm hungry," I told her, even if my stomach was grumbling a bit.  
  
Rikku is the kind of person that doesn't take 'no' for an answer. She took the bowl in one of her hands and held a silver spoon with the fingers of her other one. "Now, now, don't be so stubborn!" She scolded me like a mother would do to a child, dipping the spoon into the soup and holding it to my lips. "Open wide!"  
  
I didn't listen, turning my face away from the soup. Rikku sighed and placed it back on the nightstand, her hands resting on her little hips. "What's wrong, Gippal?"  
  
I was caught a bit off guard by her sudden change in tone. It sounded like...she was worried about me.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
She obviously didn't believe me because she lowered her face to mine, her lips just inches away from my own. I felt like I was gonna melt.  
  
"You don't look sick," she stated matter-of-factly like she was observing a strange machina. "But you've been acting weird all week."  
  
Damn it, so she DID notice. Out of all the people here, I was hoping that Rikku wouldn't catch on to how I was behaving all week. I didn't want her to worry about me because I felt that it was a waste of her time.  
  
But Rikku doesn't quit. When someone she knows has a problem, she makes it her own, too.  
  
Her emerald swirled eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together like she always did whenever an idea popped into her head. "I know!"  
  
Confused, I watched her as she took out a glowing orange sphere from one of her leather pouches that she wore around her small waist. She looked at me with a bright smile on her face. "It's time for your check-up, Mr. Leader!"  
  
With that, a sparkling light exploded and covered her completely. I was too intrigued by what Rikku's solution was that I didn't bother shielding myself from how bright it was. After a few seconds, the light faded, and Rikku was no longer in her bikini top or her skirt. She was wearing these long white robes that nearly touched the floor, and she held an orange staff in her gloved hands. A hood was pulled over her head, but I still could make out the pair of lively green eyes and swaying braids.  
  
"Rikku the White Mage will cure what ails ya!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, but then tripped and fell onto her back against the floor. Apparently I was right about the strange clothes being too long. Her boot had stepped onto the robes and being her clumsy self, she slipped.  
  
"What a grand entrance," I replied sarcastically as she struggled to get up. Heh, she was always such a klutz since I had known her, making it all the more important for me to keep a close eye out for Rikku.  
  
She dusted off her robes and pointed her staff at me as if she was gonna skewer me with it. "Hush, you! Patients have to remain quiet during the check-up!"  
  
I didn't say anything more, not wanting to provoke her temper. Rikku may look like a cute little thing, but when she's mad, DAMN...she can be scarier than Sin and Vegnagun put together. And I'm not exaggerating.  
  
She drew closer to me, putting the side of her staff against my forehead while she closed her eyes as if she were meditating.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, suppressing a laugh.  
  
"Shhhh," she said, her eyes still closed. "I am sensing a great disturbance within you..." she stated in a breathy voice.  
  
"And what would that be, oh great White Mage?"  
  
"I can sense that the source of your pig-headedness stems from your colossal ego..."  
  
I swatted away the staff from my forehead, Rikku laughing as I did.  
  
"Hey, I got every right to be egotistical. I'm hot, aren't I?" I replied smoothly.  
  
Rikku sighed and put her staff aside. "You think that. Now..."  
  
I watched wordlessly as she suddenly placed her right hand on my chest, directly over my heart. Her long braids framed her beautiful face with her eyes closed again, like she really was actually concentrating on something.  
  
I was breathless. Now, I really did feel like I was gonna melt right in front of her. I felt like such a dumbass, just sitting there stunned as if I was paralyzed. But that's how she affects me, and she's the only one who can do that. All I could think about was reaching her hand with mine, but I controlled myself.  
  
"Your heart..." she finally said, her voice hardly above a whisper, like her words were only intended for me to hear. "It's beating so fast..."  
  
"Well...it's a bit hot in here, don't ya think?" I almost stuttered, looking away from her.  
  
"That explains why you've been so distant," she continued, not hearing a word that I had said. "You're connected to someone."  
  
I stared at her, confused by what she had told me. "What?"  
  
She giggled and removed the hood of her robe, showing the rest of her braids and her long ponytail. "Whenever your heart beats that fast, you get a feeling. That feeling makes you kinda warm and complete."  
  
She reached for another sphere in her pocket, and instantly her robes faded away and were replaced by her regular clothes. "Whenever you get that feeling, it means that you're connected to someone, like you're linked to them. And that one person's heart is beating just as fast as yours, because they feel the same way about you. Both your hearts remind you that you're always together, no matter where you are."  
  
My jaw almost dropped in utter disbelief. Did Rikku just say all that?  
  
"Whoa...a bit too profound, wouldn't you say?"  
  
She shook her head, and placed her hand over her own heart. "No. Whenever I got that feeling from how fast my heart was pounding, I felt really good. I felt...real."  
  
I bowed my head, refusing to look into her face. How is it that she gets me like this every time? How can she make me feel even guiltier for not admitting my feelings for her? She's always smiling, looking at me with those mesmerizing eyes...it's enough to drive me crazy.  
  
At that moment, I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted her to know that she was the person that made me feel complete. I wanted to tell her that she was the one that made my heart beat so fast whenever I thought about her. But I couldn't.  
  
I was afraid. I wanted to be that same person who made her feel complete...but what if I wasn't?  
  
"You always were the romantic." I chuckled, changing the subject. "So, who's the lucky guy that you have a crush on?"  
  
She folded her hands behind her back and looked at the ceiling. "I dunno! Maybe I'll tell you if you tell me who YOU'RE thinking about."  
  
"It just so happens that I'm not thinking about anyone," I lied.  
  
"Meanie!" she shouted, returning to her bubbly self. "Anyways, I'm off to bed. Eat your dinner, 'kay? See ya!" She waved good-bye and ran out of my room, politely closing it after her.  
  
I sat to myself, suddenly wishing that Rikku hadn't gone. I looked at the bowl, staring at the thick soup that she had brought me. After it cooled, I picked up the spoon and began to eat.  
  
Whaddya know? I was hungry after all.  
  
*****I know that this chapter was a bit shorter, but hey, I enjoyed writing it. It's gonna be X-MAS break soon, so I should update again shortly. Thanx again for all the wonderful reviews! ( 


	4. The Words I Couldn't Say

What I Wouldn't Do For You  
  
Chapter Four: The Words I Couldn't Say  
  
Well, it's been a month since Rikku has stayed here. And I guess you can call today an...eccentric way to celebrate it.  
  
Y'know how when your day starts out normal, but you know something is bound to happen because it's a little TOO normal? Yeah, it started out as one of those days. Everything went like it was supposed to: Rikku screeched at me to wake up, shower, breakfast, and then work with machina. And that's where the chaos ensued.  
  
Rikku was flitting around as usual, helping one person after another. I was pretending not to notice her, but I was watching her from the corner of my eye.  
  
"Rikku's pretty cute, huh?" I heard one of the Al Bhed guys whisper to another one.  
  
The other guy nodded his head. "Yeah, she's something else. But I think she's taken."  
  
"What? Does she have a boyfriend?"  
  
"Not really. But word around here is that our leader has a soft spot for her."  
  
"Gippal? That's impossible! They've got nothing in common!"  
  
"Ahem!" I stepped in the conversation, my fists unable to tighten any further. "Hate to interrupt fellas, but don't you have work to do?"  
  
I didn't need to address them in Al Bhed to show them that I was pissed. They instantly saw the look that was on my face and they went right back to work, not taking another glance at Rikku. And that was exactly what I wanted them to do.  
  
I've always known that Rikku was a beautiful girl, and on top of that, she had the ability to make people laugh and smile despite how horrible their day has been. That's why I hate it when other guys stare at her or when she smiles at them. I don't show it, but it gets on my nerves. Even if they say she's beautiful, I know that no other guy could see Rikku the way I see her. And that's why I think she shouldn't be wasting her time with them.  
  
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I was discussing what to do with some of the parts that were salvaged in the desert with one of the members, when this gigantic machina bursts through the Cloister of Trial's doors. We were all caught off guard, even I have to admit I was a bit more than surprised. The whole temple was shaking as this thing started a rampage and was slamming against anything and everything that was in the way of its huge mechanical body.  
  
After recovering from the shock, I had realized something. Even though I didn't know what exactly was going on, I didn't need to. This machina was dangerous enough to wreak havoc on the bystanders outside. And it wasn't gonna be pretty if it was able to make its way to the Moonflow or Mushroom Rock Road.  
  
"Don't let it get outside!" I yelled at the Al Bhed near the front door. "We can't let it escape!"  
  
They heard me and grabbed their weapons, aiming their guns at the machina and firing away. But it was too strong; its armor completely deflecting the bullets. It just charged for the front doors, and the members of the Faction that tried to stop it dodged out of the way in fear of being crushed.  
  
The machina rammed through the doors, demolishing the front of the temple. Splintered wood and stone were flying everywhere after it had created a new "entrance" for itself.  
  
If I wasn't so worried about the safety of the members and myself, I would have been pretty impressed by the sheer strength of that machina.  
  
A bunch of the other members were scrambling around to gather weapons. I held the trigger of my gun tensely, ready to pull it when it was necessary. I ran behind the machina, prepared to fire it from behind, but I froze when I heard her voice...  
  
"Hey, you stupid machina! Come and get me!!!"  
  
"Oh no..." I said out loud to myself. "She wouldn't..."  
  
Oh, but of course she did. Rikku's the only person I know who'd try and fight a rampaging machina alone and not give it a second thought.  
  
She obviously caught its attention, because the machina was practically flying from the entrance and headed straight into her direction.  
  
Some of the members had followed me out of the temple, and that was when the sky seemed to get darker. I looked up, and saw that the sun was nowhere to be found. The air was kind of colder, like there was a storm coming or something.  
  
"WATCH OUT!!!"  
  
A stream of yellow lightning came out of nowhere and nearly struck us. We all ducked out of instinct and pure fear, and the lightning bolt hit the temple with an ear-splitting crash of thunder. When we were able to stand again, we all saw that one of the large pillars that managed to stay intact after the machina destroyed the doors was lying in a great smoking heap of rubble.  
  
I looked away from the demolished pillar to see Rikku, yet again in a strange get-up. She wore a huge hat with a wide brim and a pointed top, and the rest of her outfit was a short purple dress with flared black sleeves and green and purple stockings that went to her mid-thigh. She was holding a green and blue staff, which for some inexplicable reason was glowing, in one hand, while she covered her mouth with the other like she was shocked or something.  
  
"Cunno!!!" She shouted.  
  
I glared at her, completely aggravated by the fact that she nearly zapped us. "Fryd dra ramm yna oui tuehk?!"  
  
She couldn't answer because the machina was heading straight for her. I watched as Rikku shut her eyes tightly and was frantically muttering something under her breath, and before I knew it, there were more lightning bolts popping up. And it just so happened that another stray one nearly hit us, destroying the OTHER pillar that was in front of the temple.  
  
"What are you trying to kill? Us or the machina?!" I yelled at her, rubbing the spot on my cheek were the lightning bolt had grazed as it shot past me.  
  
"Sorry, sorry!!!" she kept apologizing, the unharmed machina charging at her with a sharp sword that was built into its right arm.  
  
I aimed my gun at it, trying to hold my hand steady. I fired a few rounds into its back, and luckily the machina had slowed down, giving Rikku a chance to escape.  
  
But she didn't. She was still a few feet away from it, holding her glowing staff up high and muttering some nonsense again. I could see that the sky was darkening even more now, and thunder was rumbling loudly while the air grew colder.  
  
"Get away from it!" I shouted, but she didn't listen. She still stood there completely unguarded. The machina would murder her if she was just standing like that with her eyes closed. She had 'kill me' written all over her.  
  
I ran right at the machina, firing as many bullets that my gun had into it. I knew I was destroying someone's hard work, but it could replaced. Rikku couldn't.  
  
Before I had another chance to fire what little ammo I had left, a huge surge of lightning appeared from the sky and struck dead-on the machina. There was a great explosion of light and thunder and I was thrown off of my feet from the impact. I closed my eye as I felt dirt and pebbles raining on me, the light slowly fading. When I was able to see again, all that was left of the machina was its disassembled bolts and parts, which were lying in a giant mound. There were small circuits of electricity that sparked around the charred remains, but I couldn't care less about the machina. I didn't care about how badly the temple was damaged. I just wanted to make sure that Rikku was all right.  
  
"Rikku!" I shouted her name, but the hissing of the obliterated machina was my only answer. I got back onto my feet, looking past the haze of black smoke that formed after the attack. When I saw her, I felt my heart stop. She was lying motionlessly on the ground, her hair spilling over her small shoulders and around her face. Her staff was in her hands, still and unmoving, and her hat had fallen off of her head and was a few inches away from her.  
  
I didn't move for a while, ignoring the shouts of the Machine Faction members behind me. I didn't hear them running after me, I didn't hear them yelling my name. All I knew right then and there was that Rikku wasn't smiling. She wasn't laughing or yelling at me. She was doing nothing. And that scared me...  
  
I ran to her side and kneeled and moved her. I carried her onto my lap and let her head rest against my arm, while my free hand was brushing aside her bangs and long braids from her face. "Rikku? Rikku!" I shouted at her. "Open your eyes, damn it!"  
  
I was angry and sad at the same time. I didn't want to lose her. I couldn't lose her. So I sure as hell wasn't going to let her leave me again.  
  
Her eyes opened to a crease, the emerald pools staring at me with the shimmer of life I was so used to seeing. "...did I miss?" She asked me, her voice weak and shaking. I had to grin at her question as I shook my head.  
  
"No, you got it this time," I told her, and she managed a small laugh.  
  
"Yay...guess Yunie and Paine were wrong...I don't need to work on my spells..."  
  
She trailed off and her eyes slowly closed again, and I grew scared. My heart was pounding and I felt a cold sweat on my forehead. It can't be like this, was all that ran in my mind. She can't die.  
  
I didn't notice the Al Bhed that gathered around her and me, asking if I was all right and what had happened to Rikku. I just held her in my arms tightly, and for once in my life I felt like I didn't know what to do. I was usually so calm and collected, but I felt that confidence slipping away from me. I only had it when Rikku was there with me, smiling and always jumping around.  
  
An older member that had used to practice medicine back at Home put a hand on my shoulder and I faced him. He asked if he could see Rikku, and I hesitantly nodded. He lowered himself onto the ground and took her frail arm in his hands. He put two fingers on her wrist, trying to feel her pulse. After a few minutes, he tried to find a pulse on the side of her neck. He stood up and asked one of the members to get his tools from inside the temple.  
  
"Gippal," he addressed me, "could you bring Rikku to her room?"  
  
I didn't say anything and stood up, Rikku lying unconscious in my arms. Now that I think about it, the old man probably knew that it would've been pointless to ask anyone else to carry her to her bedroom. He knew that I wouldn't let them.  
  
I walked into the temple, not bothering to examine the damage that was caused by the machina. I nudged the door to Rikku's room open with my boot and laid her down onto her bed. The old man came into the room shortly with a small bag of medicine and tools. He went to Rikku's side and pulled out a stethoscope, putting the cold end of the instrument over her heart. A few minutes went by, and he removed the stethoscope and stowed it away into his bag.  
  
"Well?" I asked anxiously, my heart refusing to stop pounding.  
  
"Relax Gippal, she is okay," He consoled me, but I still wasn't satisfied.  
  
"If she's okay, then why is she unconscious?" I snapped as he calmly reached into his bag and pulled out a small bottle filled with a strange blue liquid. "What the hell is that?"  
  
"It's ether," He answered. "And she is unconscious because of that one powerful spell that she conjured. Magic takes a lot of energy and mental strength. If someone that isn't experienced in the dark arts tries to cast an advanced spell such as the one that destroyed that machina, then that person would be drained of their senses for a little while."  
  
"...so she'll be all right?"  
  
He nodded, and motioned to Rikku. "Yes, this ether will help her recover quicker. Hold her head up."  
  
I did as he said, propping up the back of her head with my arms. The old man put the bottle to her lips and the liquid slid down her throat. After it was empty, he gathered his things and prepared to leave.  
  
"She isn't harmed physically, Gippal. When she comes to, Rikku will be back on her feet in no time."  
  
He left, leaving me alone with Rikku. I pulled up a chair and sat facing her, even though she couldn't see me. I put a blanket over her body and made sure that she was comfortable. Even when she did wake up, I wasn't going to let her out of her room right away. If what the old man said was true, then Rikku might still feel a bit weak mentally after summoning that huge-ass lightning storm and nearly devastated not only the machina, but also everything around it in a five-mile radius.  
  
I sat there just staring at her, brushing away the blonde bangs that occasionally drifted over her face. Looking at her sleeping so peacefully kinda made her look like a princess out of a fairytale that the adults would always tell us when we were little. I remembered that I couldn't sit still during story time because I always thought that those fairytales were a bunch of bull. But Rikku was always paying attention to them with that dreamy look in her eyes, always crying at the parts where the princess was kidnapped or something and smiling when there was a happy ending. After one particular story, she asked Brother if there was a handsome prince waiting for her.  
  
"Yeah right!" I told her. "Like any guy would be able to stand Cid's girl. You're so annoying that you would chase them all away!"  
  
She would get really angry and yell at me, tears forming in her eyes. "Shut up, Gippal! What would you know?"  
  
"Enough to know that there aren't any princes who'd waste their time with you!"  
  
When I said that, she looked away from me and ran so that no one would see her crying. I felt horrible afterwards, but at the same time I was angry and insecure. Why would Rikku want a prince to save her and take care of her when I was standing right in front of her? Why couldn't she just see that I could've been the one that could protect her?  
  
I guess that I know my answer after spending such a long time away from her. She probably didn't know how I felt about her because I never actually TOLD her. I've missed so many chances to get her back, but I was too proud to take up on them. Teasing her is the only way I know to show that I really cared about her. It's not like I could just tell her that I love her...  
  
...love...something that I thought I'd never feel in a thousand years. But Rikku does that to me. She changes me, whether or not I like it. There's just something about the way she smiles and talks to me that comforts me...that makes me forget about everything else except her.  
  
"Sudran..." she whispered in her sleep, rolling onto her side restlessly. I pulled the sheets closer to her chin, worrying that she was cold.  
  
If I couldn't tell her my feelings when she's conscious, I figured that it would have been a whole lot easier if she couldn't hear me.  
  
"Rikku...you were always such an independent person. You never wanted to stay in one place or let someone else look out for you, even when we were dating. But...I want to do that. For once, I want you to let me protect you. You're always defending everyone else, but you need someone to defend you."  
  
I lowered my head down to Rikku's face, my lips drawing closer to hers. Closing my eye, I kissed her, feeling the softness of her rosy lips against my own. Even though I felt a little guilty because I knew that if she was awake, she would pound the daylights out of me, I was happy. I haven't experienced that feeling for a long time since the first kiss I shared with Rikku. The world kinda melted away and all I knew or cared about was that she was there with me. And that was exactly how I felt during this kiss.  
  
I pulled away, Rikku still sleeping as if nothing had happened. I figured that the kiss I stole from her would be the last thing to tell her when she wakes up. I didn't want to be the next one examined for a pulse.  
  
"E muja oui," I whispered into her ear, and I felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off of my chest. I knew that I would have to eventually tell her about my feelings in the future, but one step at a time, right? This was a start.  
  
I sat back in my chair and watched her for the rest of the day, falling soundly asleep several hours later.  
  
***AUTHOR'S NOTE***  
  
There, for all of you who wanted some fluff. I know it's not much, but Gippal doesn't strike me as the person who'd tell a girl exactly how he feels right off the bat. Thank you a thousand times for the wonderful reviews, btw! I'm glad that I'm keeping the characters...well, in character! Hope everyone had a great holiday! I'll try and update soon.  
  
Translations:  
  
Sudran: Mother  
  
E muja oui: I love you  
  
Cunno: Sorry  
  
Fryd dra ramm yna oui tuehk: What the hell are you doing 


	5. Happy Birthday Rikku!

What I Wouldn't Do For You  
  
Chapter Five: Happy Birthday Rikku!  
  
"RIKKU!!!"  
  
I shouted her name above the desert sands as the dunes whipped wildly in the distance like millions of serpents. Even if the sun wasn't visible, dehydration was the least of my problems. I felt the sands wrap around me, getting in my hair and my boots. I searched frantically through the storm, looking for any sign of her.  
  
"Rikku, where are you?!?" I yelled, not caring that my throat was sore and that my lungs felt like they were being deprived of air.  
  
This is all my fault. If I hadn't teased her so much, she wouldn't have run off into the desert. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings and chase her into a sandstorm. I just wanted her to notice me!  
  
Man, where is she? Is she lost? Is she hurt? Is she...dead? No, no! She can't do that to me! She can't leave all of us like that, I won't let her!!!  
  
I walked further into the storm, not knowing my east from my west or my north from my south. I saw only thick blankets of sand whizzing past me and making it impossible to see barely three feet in front of my face. I feel so numb, but my feet keep moving me into some direction. I just want to see her and say I'm sorry for making her cry. I want to tell her that I didn't mean all those things that I said. I don't care if I get lost in this sandstorm. I'm not going back Home until I bring Rikku back with me.  
  
I walk on, the storm getting worse and worse with each step I take through the sand. My throat feels parched and just the thought of water is torture. My arms and face have lost all feeling from the strong winds and the hot sand. My body suddenly gave out and I fall face-first into a bed of soft sand. I can still hear the high winds whistling in my ear, and a sand is beginning to cover me. I lost all feeling in my body and slowly the desert began to disappear before my eyes...  
  
Rikku...I'm sorry for what I did to you. You can punch me, kick me, yell at me, I don't care! I just want you to be safe.  
  
...please...forgive me...  
  
...Rikku...  
  
* * * *  
  
I woke up with a start, sweat dripping from my forehead. I took in the air with deep, heavy breaths. I gripped at my hair, which was falling out of place, with my hands. I looked around the room with my one good eye and slowly remembered that I was in Rikku's bedroom. The sickly cute stuffed animals on the empty bed were a dead giveaway...  
  
...wait a minute...EMPTY?!?  
  
I stood up from the chair, looking frantically for Rikku. Where the hell was she? She shouldn't be out of bed, not after what happened today! Gotta find her in case she passes out again...  
  
I left the room and entered into the main room of the temple. I saw destroyed pillars and heaps of rubble lying all over the place, but no yellow bouncing ball of energy. Some of the faction members were trying to clean up the temple and were already talking about rebuilding it.  
  
"Rao!" I said to the Al Bhed guy passing me. "Ryja oui caah Rikku?"  
  
He nodded and pointed to where the doors used to be. "Cra'c uidceta."  
  
I immediately headed outside, ignoring the stares of the other members. I walked out of the temple and suddenly heard an extremely familiar voice.  
  
"Hi, Yunie!" Rikku cried out to the little blue sphere that was positioned on the ground. She waved at it happily. "How are ya?"  
  
"I'm fine, glad to see you're okay Rikku," the little sphere answered in the former High Summoner's voice. "My goodness, what happened?"  
  
Rikku got a confused look on her face. "Whaddya mean?"  
  
"The temple and everything around it is a mess! Did you get attacked by fiends or something?"  
  
Rikku's fingers started fidgeting as she bit her bottom lip. "Well...not exactly..."  
  
There was a moment of silence, and then the sphere began to talk again. "Rikku, were you casting spells again?"  
  
"No! Well...maybe...yes?"  
  
"Honestly, how many times have Paine and I told you? You shouldn't cast a third-level spell with the little experience that you have."  
  
"Rikku casting magic?!" A second voice laughed. "Yeah, right! She probably did more damage to the people around her than to the fiends!"  
  
"Shut up, Tidus!!!" She pouted. "And Yunie, I had no choice! There was this machina, and it was set in crazy-killer-mode and it busted out of the temple and was gonna hurt everyone and I had to stop it-"  
  
"Rikku, calm down!" Yuna ordered her.  
  
She took a deep breath and exhaled. "I had to, Yunie! There was this machina that malfunctioned and was gonna kill everyone. I needed to do something!"  
  
"Okay, okay. Just don't cast any more spells again until you've gotten the hang of being a Black Mage."  
  
Rikku hung her head down, her blonde braids falling against her face. "Oh, everyone treats me like I'm still a kid! I'm practically eighteen, remember?"  
  
"Of course I do! How can I forget my favorite cousin's birthday?"  
  
She looked back at the sphere, twirling a braid with her finger. "Um, Yunie? I'm your only cousin."  
  
"Oh, right...um, anyway, why don't you come to Besaid to celebrate your birthday?"  
  
"Yeah, so I can give you your birthday punches!" The male voice rang.  
  
Rikku smirked. "Ha! Like that would hurt! You punch like a wimp!"  
  
"Takes one to know one!" The guy called 'Tidus' teased back. I began to feel jealous as Rikku and him kept shooting insults at each other. I'm the only one who teased her to no end. Who does this guy thinks he is?  
  
"Whatever!" Rikku stuck her tongue out.  
  
"Children!" Yuna interrupted. "Will you both quit it for a second?"  
  
She crossed her arms and looked away from the sphere. "He started it..."  
  
"As I was saying, come to Besaid. Wakka and Lulu want to see you!"  
  
Rikku scratched the back of her head and laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah, about that...I can't."  
  
"Really? Why?"  
  
She looked grimly back at the Commsphere, her emerald green eyes drooping. "I thought Brother would've told you. I have to stay here to help with the Machine Faction for three months."  
  
"He did tell me, but don't you think Gippal could let you take one measly day off to celebrate your birthday?"  
  
Rikku shook her head. "It's not like he wouldn't, but I don't want to bother him. He's always so busy and we got a whole lot of new members to train. He won't admit it, but I think he needs my help-"  
  
"Oh, I see..."  
  
Rikku's eyes concentrated on the sphere, obviously confused. "Huh?"  
  
"Rikku, is it that you can't leave Djose or that you don't WANT to?" Yuna asked, hinting at something.  
  
She shook her head again, waving her arms frantically like a lunatic. "W-what are you saying?!?"  
  
"You know what I mean...it's about HIM, isn't it?"  
  
Whatever Yuna was saying, it sure was making Rikku's cheeks red. "No it's NOT!!! Why would you think that?!?"  
  
I thought that this little argument wasn't gonna end until the sun would rise, so I decided to step in. When Rikku gets started, she doesn't stop.  
  
"Rikku, what are you doing out here?"  
  
She swung her head towards me, her pretty eyes wide with surprise. "Gippal! U-um, nothing! Just talking to my cousin-"  
  
"Hey, who is that?" I heard the male voice ask. "Is it that guy Rikku's always telling us abou-"  
  
Before Yuna or Tidus could speak, Rikku let out a little shriek and pounded her fist onto the Commsphere. Her attack caused a little crack to form in the middle of the blue sphere, and all I could hear were garbled voices.  
  
"Oops, guess I don't know my own strength!" she exclaimed with relief. "If you can hear me Yunie, we'll discuss my birthday later! Hugs and kisses! Bye-bye!"  
  
She waved good-bye to the broken sphere and shut it off. She stood up and greeted me with a sheepish smile.  
  
"Hey, Mr. Leader!"  
  
I looked smugly back at her. "Don't 'hey Mr. Leader' me. You shouldn't be out of bed!" I grabbed one of her hands and began to tug her back to the temple. Rikku fought back by trying to stand her ground and pulling in the opposite direction.  
  
"You big meanie! Let-me-go!!!" She shouted, her feet sliding against the dirt as I dragged her.  
  
"You should be resting, not prancing around out here!" I argued, easily pulling her across the ground.  
  
"But I don't wanna!" She cried, trying to yank her hand out of my grasp. "I feel better!"  
  
"You're going back to bed," I said, oblivious to the crowd that we were attracting.  
  
She finally was able to struggle her way out of my hold, and she planted her feet firmly on the ground. Her arms, which were covered in pale yellow bows like they always were, crossed over her chest. "I'm not gonna be told what to do! I'm almost eighteen!"  
  
"Really? Is that so, Cid's little girl?" I asked, not giving in for one second.  
  
"Yeah, so get used to it!" She stubbornly said and turned her back on me, her arms still folded.  
  
Seeing how this was my perfect chance, I grabbed Rikku by the waist and effortlessly slung her over my shoulder.  
  
"Fryd yna oui tuehk?!?" she screamed at me in Al Bhed. She began pounding her fists against my back and kicking her little feet. She kept wiggling around, but I didn't pay attention. Rikku's as light as a feather, plus there's no way she could ever physically harm me. She's WAY too weak.  
  
I carried her back into the temple and to her room, shutting the door behind us with my boot. I walked over to her bed and set her down. When I was able to face her again, she was giving me the death glare.  
  
"What'd you do that for?!?"  
  
"You aren't going out of this room until morning. You're gonna rest 'til then."  
  
She clenched her fists. "Gippal, quit treating me like a baby! That's all everyone does around here and it's really ticking me off!"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Pops, Brother, Yunie, Tidus, and you! Why can't people stop being so worried about me? I can take care of myself."  
  
I looked away from her, not wanting her to see that I was hurt by her words. "Cunno...it's just that when I found you after the machina was destroyed, you were unconscious. I thought there was something wrong with you, so when I saw that your bed was empty...I got kinda worried."  
  
I thought that she was truly pissed at me, until I felt her hand on my shoulder. I turned to see her face and I was almost stunned when I saw her beautiful swirled eyes staring at me sympathetically.  
  
"I'm sorry, Gippal. I didn't mean to yell at you. It's been a crazy day, y'know?"  
  
I scoffed, feeling a bit better. "Speak for yourself. You were the one that nearly disintegrated the temple, not me."  
  
She laughed nervously. "Well, at least I got the machina! Heh heh...guess I need practice with my spells, huh?"  
  
"Practice is an understatement," I replied, running my hand through her soft hair and messing it up. Rikku giggled and pushed me away.  
  
"Yunie and Paine said the same thing..." her voice trailed off and she suddenly stood up. "But I don't wanna spend all that time training to be a Black Mage. It takes so many hours and it's SO boring..."  
  
"Then don't," I answered bluntly.  
  
"But I might need those spells someday! What if I get into a fight with an ultra-super powerful fiend that's completely invulnerable to physical attacks? How am I gonna protect myself then?"  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll protect you..."  
  
Oh shit...did I just say that? Smooth, Gippal. Real smooth...  
  
"W-what?" I heard Rikku ask. Her cheeks were a bit rosy and there was this shocked look in her eyes.  
  
Quick, quick! Change the subject. Talk about weather, music, machina, talk about chocobos for Spira's sake! Just change the freaking subject!!!  
  
"What were you dreaming about when you fainted?" I quickly asked, hoping to throw Rikku off. I can't tell her, not now of all times.  
  
She cocked her head to one side, her long hair shifting from one side to the other. "Huh?"  
  
"I heard you calling out for your mother. Why?"  
  
To be genuinely honest, I truly did want to know what Rikku was dreaming about. It was the first thing that came to mind, so I decided to ask her. Rikku never spoke of her mother since the day that she had passed onto the Farplane. I was seven and Rikku was six then. Her mom contracted this illness that no one knew anything about at the time. Even if we had known the cure, we were all too preoccupied by being driven into the desert by the rest of Spira to create a vaccine. The world had hated us so much that they had forced us into Bikanel Desert without a shred of regret.  
  
By the time that anyone even knew the name of the damn disease, Rikku's mom had died in her sleep. Cid held a memorial service in her honor. She was a well-respected woman of our clan, but I think that she meant the most to her family. Brother didn't talk at all that day, he just stood there like a living corpse and didn't budge. Rikku was crying so much though, and she didn't try to hide it. When I saw her burying her face in her hands and saw the tears dripping down her cheeks, I felt like wanting to cry to. But I didn't. I never cried, and I had to do it for Rikku. Cid and Brother were wrecks, so I had to be strong for her.  
  
Rikku looked away from me and leaned back onto her bed, hugging her pillow. I suddenly regretted asking, but she spoke. "I was thanking her."  
  
I raised an eyebrow. "For what?"  
  
She smiled and tucked her neatly woven braid behind her ear, revealing a red and yellow feather. "For this!"  
  
I remembered those feathers. Rikku had always worn them on her braids as ornaments since her mom had died. She began wearing them as earrings after Sin had been defeated.  
  
"What about them?"  
  
Rikku giggled, playing with the soft tip of the feather with her fingertips. "These feathers belonged to my mom. She told me that they had always given her good luck, so she gave them to me before she..."  
  
The smile on Rikku's face disappeared as her bright green eyes grew distant. If I didn't feel like a total ass earlier, I did now.  
  
I was feeling so terrible that I didn't notice my hand placing itself on hers, holding it tightly. Rikku's eyes shot at me, surprised by my gesture. I was shocked too, but I didn't want to let go of her hand. I liked the feeling of her soft skin against my fingers, so I still held her hand.  
  
A smile returned again to her pink lips. "Sorry. I kinda zoned out."  
  
I shook my head. "Nothing to be sorry for."  
  
She sighed, looking down again. "I...wished that I had more than just feathers to remember her by."  
  
Rikku shifted onto her back, lying flat on her bed. She moved her legs aside so I had a spot to sit on the mattress.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep my eyes off of those slim legs of hers. I figured that I should be listening to Rikku instead of checking her out on her bed. At least, that's what my conscience was telling my hormones.  
  
She sighed again. "I dunno...maybe a sphere or something. I wanna see her face again, even if she's gone. It'd be nice to have something to share with Pops and Brother. Maybe if they saw her, they'd remember how much she hated to see our family argue and stop fighting."  
  
Brother and Cid always seemed to be in each other's faces over something, even if it's about a trivial and stupid thing. Rikku doesn't know why they've always been fighting, they just do. Seeing her distraught over stuff like that made me want to pound some sense in both their thick heads. Rikku hated to see people fight, especially her family.  
  
"I...don't know what to say," I answered. I know that it was a cold-hearted thing to say, but that's how I truly felt. I didn't want to make Rikku feel worse by saying 'It's gonna be all right' or 'Forget about all that stuff'. Who am I to tell her that things would turn out all rosy and nice or to tell her to forget about her problems? I didn't want to say those things because they had no meaning, kind of like lies. And I didn't want to lie to Rikku.  
  
She was staring at me, like she wanted me to continue. So I did. "I mean, I never knew my parents. I didn't have spheres or pictures, or any of that stuff."  
  
"But don't you miss them?" Rikku asked.  
  
"Not really. How am I supposed to miss two people that I've never seen before in my life?"  
  
She looked troubled by my words. "But they were your parents, Gippal."  
  
"I know. But memories are memories, right?"  
  
Rikku paused, but then nodded. "Yeah...memories are nice, but that's all they are."  
  
And old Al Bhed saying. A saying that we have all lived by. With all the technological advances our people made, we were too caught up with our work to think about the past. Why bother with events that have already happened when all that mattered was our present and future, right?  
  
"Still..."  
  
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Rikku speaking again. She was sitting up and smiling at me, her emerald eyes holding mine.  
  
"I bet that if they could see you now, they would tell you that they're proud of you."  
  
I just grinned and laughed a bit. "Yeah, maybe."  
  
Suddenly, the door burst open and there was Old Man Cid himself. Rikku nearly jumped and I had noticed the perplexed look on the old man's face. I then came to the realization that I was alone in the room with the Al Bhed leader's daughter, until now.  
  
"What's going on here?" Cid demanded in his gruff voice. Before I could reply, Rikku stood up from her bed and faced her dad.  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
"Why is HE in your room?" He gave me a dirty look.  
  
Okay, I've always thought that Cid was a cool guy. His love for machina was contagious and had obviously passed onto his children. He's a great leader, always knowing what to do and how to do it. But for some reason, he didn't like me. Probably because I was the one that broke up with Rikku, and I've had a reputation for dating a few girls here and there. He always spoils her and he treats her like a little princess, much to his daughter's dismay. As I've said, Rikku has always been an independent person, but I don't think that Cid has accepted that just yet. Guess because she's the youngest of his kids and also happens to be his only daughter.  
  
Rikku rolled her eyes. "We were talking, Pops! Quit accusing me of stuff...hey, what are you doing here anyway?"  
  
Cid grinned as if he had this big important secret. "Your bonehead of a brother told me about the whole situation. So that's why I've decided to throw my little girl's birthday bash here at Djose!"  
  
Rikku punched the air with one fist and jumped in delight. "That's awesome, Pops! Can Yunie and Tidus come?"  
  
"Heh, sure. The more the merrier! I don't want my niece and her beau to miss my daughter's eighteenth birthday party! And I've got a big surprise for you!"  
  
Rikku's eyes sparkled in joy as she clapped her hands together excitedly. "Ohhh, really?!? What is it, what is it?!?"  
  
Old Man Cid chuckled and shook his head. "I can't tell ya 'til the party, or it wouldn't be much of a surprise! You'll know the day after tomorrow."  
  
She sulked and gave her dad the puppy-eyes look. "Bmayca, Vydran?"  
  
"You'll see soon enough, Rikku. Now, keep up the good work around here! I'll see you at the party. You too, Gippal!"  
  
I nodded my head politely, and then the Old Man left. After the door closed, Rikku did a little dance of happiness. "This is so great, I won't have to miss out on my birthday!"  
  
She suddenly stopped dancing and looked at me worriedly. "Um, did Pops ask you if he could have the party here?"  
  
"Nah, but I don't care. You only turn eighteen once, right?"  
  
She squealed and threw her arms around me, smothering me in a tight hug. "Thank you so much, Gippal! You're the best!"  
  
It took me a while to overcome my shock, but I found myself hugging Rikku back. "Heh, I know."  
  
It felt great, knowing that she was in my arms. I didn't want her warmth to leave me, so I kept my arms around her waist as long as I could, not wanting to let go.  
  
After that night, Rikku woke up perkier than usual. She was always devoted to helping the Faction and even I have to admit that her work was more than exceptional, but today she reached a new record. She fixed more machina in one day than most of the members could in two weeks. I knew that she was excited about the party and the surprise that her dad had in store for her, because her steps seemed lighter and she was humming a lot more as she worked.  
  
Soon enough, it was the day of the party. The Faction members were relieved that I wasn't gonna drive them like slaves today. I figured that they deserved a break since it was Rikku's birthday. A lot of people were there: there were several Al Bhed from Bikanel Desert, Brother and the Celsius crew, the former High Summoner and that Tidus guy, Paine and Baralai, and somehow Nooj was dragged to the party. And following right behind him was that LeBlanc lady, as always.  
  
There was music blaring all over the place as people danced, stuffed their faces, or just plain talked. I went over to where my old friends were at the refreshment table. They all greeted me, and I noticed that they held gifts in their hands.  
  
"Hey, what's up you guys?" I asked, kinda happy to see them for the first time in a long while. I wasn't able to meet up with either Paine or Baralai 'cause they, along with Nooj, were trying to smooth out the edges of the conflict between New Yevon and the Youth League.  
  
"Where's your gift?" Baralai asked out of curiosity. I shrugged my shoulders and grinned.  
  
"I'd figure that I would give it to her after the party."  
  
Paine looked away as Nooj and Baralai stifled laughs.  
  
"What?" I asked, a bit irritated. I hated when people were laughing at me. It made me feel stupid.  
  
"So, what did you get her?" Nooj asked, a smart-ass tone to his voice.  
  
"You finally going to tell her how you feel?" Baralai followed, smiling.  
  
I took a step back and gave them all a confused look. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Paine sighed, brushing aside a silver lock of hair from her eyes. "Don't play stupid, Gippal."  
  
"Yeah, you know as well as we do that you have more than a little crush on her."  
  
I felt like I wanted to just wipe the smirk off of Nooj's face. "H-hey! That isn't true!"  
  
"She was all you ever talked about when we were in the Crimson Squad," Baralai answered. I hated him at the moment because he wasn't exactly helping me.  
  
"It was always 'Rikku this', or 'Rikku that'," Nooj added.  
  
"Yes, and trading a measly aircraft part with Brother for three months of Rikku's time? It didn't get more obvious than that," Paine was joining in on ganging up on me. I think that it was safe to say that I was cornered.  
  
"Hey, I only asked for one month!" I shot back, realizing shortly that I had just stabbed myself in the back.  
  
"Yes, but you didn't complain," Nooj reminded me, and Baralai and Paine nodded in agreement.  
  
"Will you guys back off already?!" I shouted a little too loudly, drawing some spectators. My friends all exchanged glances and laughed.  
  
"Fine, Gippal. We've had our fun," Baralai said, serving himself some soda from the table.  
  
"Just remember, pretty girls like your little Rikku don't stay single forever. If you don't step up to bat..."  
  
"You can bet that someone else will," Paine finished Nooj's sentence, and they were done teasing me for the day.  
  
I shook off their words that day because I didn't take them seriously. If I would've known what had happened later that night, I would've kept my friends' warnings in mind.  
  
After the party went on for a couple more hours, it was time for Rikku to open her presents. Her eyes seemed to light up when she saw how many guests had brought her something. She was like a little kid again, and that made me smile. Today was her day, no doubt about it. So I was happy knowing that she was having a good time and was free of any worries.  
  
Or so I thought until Cid presented his gift.  
  
"Can I have your attention?" He bellowed over the crowd. Everyone turned their heads to him and the music died down, allowing him to speak..  
  
"As y'all know, today is my little girl's eighteenth birthday! Come over here, Rikku."  
  
Rikku walked away from talking with Yuna and Paine and went to her dad's side. She smiled brightly at her guests and gave a little wave. Everyone clapped for her since she was the whole reason that there was a celebration at all.  
  
"Rikku, you've matured from a little girl to a young woman. I've always been expecting this day, and I can't believe that it's already here."  
  
I took a sip from my drink, wishing that the old man would stop rambling.  
  
"I realized a long time ago that when you turned eighteen, you wouldn't be able to rely on Brother or me to take care of you anymore. You'll be going out into Spira by yourself, facing new hardships as you start a new life. I didn't want you to be alone during those times, so that's why I got you a little present."  
  
Cid signaled someone from the crowd, and the guests and I watched as a guy walked over to where Rikku and him were. By the blonde hair and the green swirled eyes, he was obviously an Al Bhed. He wasn't dressed like one, though. He wore this long dark blue robe with baggy sleeves, tied with a yellow sash, over a pair of fancy black pants and boots. His hair was a little long, falling a bit over his shoulders. I could've sworn that I heard a bunch of girls swooning as he walked away from the crowd.  
  
Cid placed his hand over the strange guy's shoulder. "This is Cibaneun, a friend of mine."  
  
"Uh...hi," Rikku greeted him, a bit puzzled over what was happening.  
  
"Cibaneun, this is my daughter, Rikku," Cid introduced him to her. The guy kneeled down and took Rikku's hand, kissing it as he did.  
  
"Pleasure to meet you," he said, making Rikku blush. I felt my hand tighten around my glass, hating the guy's guts even if I didn't know who the hell he was.  
  
"Rikku, Cibaneun is my gift to you."  
  
Rikku looked uncomfortable and if I didn't know better, a little afraid. "Huh?"  
  
"He's your future husband!"  
  
Rikku looked as if she was going to die right there on the spot. As for me, I was speechless. I was beyond being pissed...I felt like I wanted to murder the bastard.  
  
I saw Yuna's hands over her mouth in shock, while the blonde guy next to her spit out his drink. Baralai and Nooj both looked grim, and Paine's eyes grew to the size of saucers.  
  
I was so angry that I didn't feel the glass shattering in my hand, the soda mixing in with my blood and dripping onto the dirt.  
  
***AUTHOR'S NOTE***  
  
Well, this is bound to get interesting, won't it? Looks like our beloved Gippal is going to have a little competition!  
  
Thanks a gazillion times for the reviews, guys!!! I'm really happy that people are actually reading this story. I'll try and update soon. Happy New Year!!!  
  
TRANSLATIONS:  
  
Rao- Hey  
  
Ryja oui caah Rikku- Have you seen Rikku  
  
Fryd yna oui tuehk- What are you doing  
  
Bmayca, Vydran- Please, father 


	6. The Solution

What I Wouldn't Do For You  
  
Chapter Six: The Solution  
  
How could this happen? How could my whole life turn into a soap opera just like that? If there really is a Yevon, he has a really sick sense of humor. Either that or he simply has a mean streak against me.  
  
I wanted to believe that what I had heard and seen an hour ago was a horrible nightmare. I wanted to wake up to Rikku's voice and find myself in my machina-littered room. But I couldn't. Reality can't be escaped, and it's a bitch if you try to ignore it.  
  
Still...I feel like I just want to shoot myself. Repeatedly.  
  
The party was still going on after Cid's announcement. Although people were still dancing, there was a lot of talk going on about what they had just heard. The women were going off about how Rikku was so damn lucky to marry a guy like Cibaneun, while the guys were cursing him for being engaged to a girl as hot as Rikku. The birthday girl had scampered off into the temple with Yuna and Paine following her. I knew that they were like older sisters to her and were always there for her when something had happened, just like the way I wanted to always be there for her. Cid was talking to that bastard Cibaneun, probably trying to apologize for his daughter's lack of enthusiasm and gratification. Believe me, I wanted nothing more than to beat that pretty boy's face into a bloody pulp, but I felt a stronger need to be with Rikku. I started off into the temple until I felt someone holding me back.  
  
"Hey!" I shouted angrily at Nooj and Baralai as they were keeping me from going into the temple.  
  
"We should leave them alone for a little bit," Baralai told me. He always was the voice of reason, which was exactly why I paid no attention to his advice.  
  
"I think they need a little girl talk," Nooj added, and both of the guys dragged me beside the item shop that was set up near the temple, away from Cid's view. And that's where we met that blonde guy who came with the High Summoner, sitting alone and balancing a glass half-filled with soda on his head out of boredom.  
  
"I'm surrounded..." I said cynically, and Nooj and Baralai finally let me go. The blonde guy grinned widely and stood up, catching the glass with his hand as it slid off from his hair.  
  
"Hey!" He greeted with a cheerfulness that reminded me of Rikku. "Name's Tidus. Nice meeting you guys!"  
  
Baralai was the first to shake his hand. "Hello, I'm Baralai."  
  
Nooj was the next. "Nooj."  
  
Tidus smiled at both of them, and then turned to me, expecting a handshake. I paid no attention; my eyes were glued to Cibaneun and Cid while they were talking to each other.  
  
"Don't mind our friend," I heard Baralai apologizing. "He's-"  
  
"Gippal, right?" Tidus finished, and I finally turned my head at him smugly.  
  
He took the hint that I wasn't exactly feeling sociable, and scratched the back of his head. "Heh, so you're the guy that Rikku's been staying with."  
  
"Yeah. What of it?"  
  
He waved his hands in protest, that stupid grin of his still on his face. "Nothing, nothing. I'm just glad that SOMEONE is looking out for that girl. She gets into trouble constantly when she's alone, y'know?"  
  
"You know Rikku?" Baralai asked, obviously trying to make up for my lack of talking.  
  
"Of course! Both of us were Yuna's guardians. Still the hyper one, that kid, but she's always good for a laugh."  
  
...good for a laugh...I remember that I used those same words when I teased Rikku that one day her and the Gullwings stopped by. If she only knew that she meant more to me than comic relief...  
  
"I can't believe what Cid is thinking, arranging a marriage for her. That's wrong in every sense of the word."  
  
I felt Nooj and Baralai staring at me, watching for me to react after Tidus had brought up the last topic in Spira that I wanted to talk about. But I had to admit that I agreed with him.  
  
Tidus didn't notice the awkward silence and continued talking. "I know that she's eighteen, but that doesn't really mean that she's ready for marriage, especially to a guy that she doesn't even know. Hell, Yuna and myself have never heard of this Cinnabar guy, so we don't know whether or not he's even dating material for Rikku-"  
  
"He isn't," I interrupted, surprising them all. "He doesn't know a damn thing about Rikku. I've never seen this guy before at Home, and something's telling me that not even Brother knows him."  
  
Tidus nodded. "Yeah, he looked just as surprised as the rest of us. His lower jaw literally dropped onto the ground."  
  
"...now that you mention it, he looks Al Bhed but he certainly isn't dressed like it. His clothes look similar to what the people of Bevelle wear," Nooj pointed out.  
  
"You wouldn't catch a sane Al Bhed in a get-up like that," I scoffed.  
  
Baralai cleared his throat loudly, probably to show that he was offended. "And what's wrong with our clothes?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm just saying that there aren't any Al Bhed guys that would be caught dead wearing one of those dresses-"  
  
"They're robes!" Baralai yelled at me. "There's a difference!"  
  
"I dunno," Tidus chimed it. "I didn't wanna say anything, but you do kinda look like you're wearing a dress."  
  
"It is NOT a dress!"  
  
"Quit it, brats," Nooj ordered, being the responsible adult that he was. "Baralai, have you ever seen that man in Bevelle?"  
  
My silver-haired friend cleared his throat again, trying to regain his calm personality. He rubbed his temples with his fingers, like he was in deep thought. "I don't remember if I've seen him, but he looks familiar. His name rings a bell, too. I think that I once overheard it a few times when I joined with the ranks of Yevon three years ago."  
  
"Were they condemning him?"  
  
"No...I think that I've actually heard his name being praised by some of the higher priests. I don't remember hearing anything bad about him..."  
  
Nooj scratched his chin thoughtfully. "An Al Bhed that is commended by the superiors of Yevon...that does sound strange."  
  
"Wait, wait, wait!" Tidus stepped in and looked at me. "That can't be right. Weren't you guys forced to live in the desert because the Yevonites hated you?"  
  
I rolled my eyes, feeling like my day had reached an all-time low. "Why else would we live in the hottest place on the face of Spira, genius?"  
  
"Gippal, you've never seen that man?" Nooj questioned in an attempt to avoid an argument.  
  
"No, I haven't. I remember every single Al Bhed being driven into Bikanel Desert and constructing Home, except for that guy. I haven't seen him at all when I was growing up with Rikku, otherwise I would've remembered him."  
  
Yeah, and he wouldn't have a chance to be her future husband. I would've beaten the crap out of him way before any of this.  
  
"Ah, if it isn't Praetor Baralai of New Yevon," a voice broke my thought. Sure enough it was the Al Bhed I wanted nothing more than to kill, but I figured there were too many witnesses at the time. I doubt that Baralai and Tidus could have something like that on their consciences.  
  
He bowed down to Baralai, the same way that the priests of Yevon do when they're greeting someone important. "It's an honor to be in your presence."  
  
There was something about the guy's voice that sounded confident and proud, making the thought of Cibaneun having all of his limbs broken all the more delightful.  
  
"Likewise," Baralai returned the bow out of sheer politeness. He never wanted to be confrontational to strangers.  
  
"How is New Yevon? Making progress I hope?"  
  
"Actually, Nooj and I have put a lot of effort into settling the small disputes between New Yevon and the Youth League. We don't want either faction to have more power over the other."  
  
Cibaneun smiled. "A wise decision, as expected of the Praetor." His dark green eyes than turned to Nooj, and he bowed once more. "Nooj of the Youth League, I presume?"  
  
Nooj grimaced when he saw him bow; he hated everything out of the Yevonite custom. It was the whole reason why he started a faction against Yevon in the first place. "Yes."  
  
"It is great having this opportunity to meet the legendary veteran of the Crusaders."  
  
Nooj simply nodded. Both Baralai and him weren't much for compliments. The guy than concentrated on Tidus who was kicking the dirt around his feet, paying no attention whatsoever. Or at least it seemed like it. I swear that the guy has the attention span of a flea.  
  
"Sir Tidus, I presume?" Cibaneun addressed, catching the idiot's attention. "You were one of Lady Yuna's guardians along with Miss Rikku, am I correct?"  
  
"Yep," he simply answered. I was getting the feeling that Tidus was suspicious of Cibaneun. "And you're Cinnabar?"  
  
"Cibaneun," he corrected him, and Tidus shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Close enough, right?" He said, and I couldn't help but snicker, earning disapproving glances from Nooj and Baralai.  
  
Cibaneun observed us all with a confused look. "I sense something troubling here. Is there anything I can do to help?"  
  
"You can leave," I let the words slip off my tongue. I was being serious: I wanted him to go already.  
  
Of course, being the gentleman he was, Cibaneun put the spotlight on me. Looks like he had something nice to say about everyone. "You must be Gippal," he extended out his hand, but I just looked at it. "I have heard many admirable things about you from Cid."  
  
Normally if I didn't want to kill the guy, I'd be surprised that Rikku's dad had anything nice to say about me at all. But now wasn't one of those times.  
  
I glared at him with loathing. Nooj and Baralai were about to get Cibaneun's attention before I got any angrier, but luckily Tidus did that for them.  
  
"Hey, where is the old man? Wasn't he talking to you?"  
  
The Al Bhed smiled, focusing on the former guardian. "Cid went into the temple to check on my wife."  
  
I snapped when I heard that. "Cra ech'd ouin feva!" My friends didn't need to speak Al Bhed to get an idea what I was yelling about. Cibaneun bowed down his head, looking like he was sorry.  
  
"Forgive me, you are right. I should not be rushing into things. I am not officially married to Miss Rikku as of yet-"  
  
"And you won't be," I said coldly. Like hell I was gonna let him marry her! I don't know what Cid was thinking to go through with this, but I'll be damned if he expects me not to do anything.  
  
"What do you mean?" Cibaneun asked, a bit bewildered. "Has Cid changed his mind already?"  
  
"It doesn't matter what the old man thinks! Did either of you even ask Rikku herself if she was comfortable with marrying a complete stranger?!"  
  
Thinking that I had said enough, Nooj grabbed me by the arm and dragged me away from the bastard, while Baralai was taking the heat for what I had said. Tidus followed us, not wanting to apologize with Baralai for my actions. Nooj pulled me away into the temple, where I saw the High Summoner and Paine standing.  
  
"What's going on?" Paine asked, probably surprised by how pissed I was.  
  
"Gippal had a little spat with Cibaneun," Nooj explained, letting go of my arm. "I had to take him away before something 'unfortunate' happened- "  
  
"Don't bother, Nooj! I'm through talking with that pompous prick!" I fumed, taking a cigarette out of my pocket and lighting it as soon as I put it between my lips.  
  
"Where's Rikku?" Tidus asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Cid is talking to her in her room," Yuna answered.  
  
As if on cue, we heard angry voices yelling from Rikku's room. The door swung open with a frightened Cid running for dear life. A stuffed chocobo was flying right at him from the room, but he dodged it and the toy headed in my direction. I caught it easily while Rikku slammed her door shut so hard that I think that the temple was shaking.  
  
"Damn that girl, she's so stubborn sometimes!" Cid cursed, and then looked at Yuna. "Yuna, I think it'd be best if you talked to her. She's too angry to listen to her old man."  
  
The high summoner nodded and Paine and her went into Rikku's room, gently closing the door. I was left alone with Cid, Tidus, and Nooj.  
  
"We have to talk, Cid," I said to him between drags of my cigarette.  
  
"Dryd sygac dfu uv ic!!" We all looked to the entrance and saw Brother walking towards us. "What are you thinking, Father? Why did you not at least TELL me that you arranged a marriage for Rikku?!"  
  
"Calm down, the both of ya," Cid ordered. "I'll explain everything outside."  
  
We followed him out of the temple away from Nooj and Tidus, Brother at my side cursing in Al Bhed. The guy gets way too excited, but I guess I can't blame him. I certainly wasn't peachy with the idea that the girl I loved was gonna get married to someone she didn't know.  
  
Cid looked at us sternly as he took a deep breath. "I know what both of y'all are thinking. You're probably wondering if this old man has finally lost his marbles."  
  
"Believe me, you have no idea..." I muttered under my breath, exhaling smoke.  
  
"I guess the first thing I can do is tell you who Cibaneun is. As you can probably tell, he looks a little funny to be an Al Bhed-"  
  
"He looks like Yevonite!" Brother interrupted. "I don't trust him!"  
  
"He looks like a follower of Yevon because his family has had connections with Yevon. Not exactly sure what those connections were, but-"  
  
"Hold it! You're giving your daughter away to a guy that has been rubbing elbows with a corrupt religion?" I cut in, refusing to listen to any of this.  
  
"Dryd'c lnywo!" Brother added.  
  
"Will you two let me finish? Anyway, it wasn't exactly Cibaneun who was involved with all that. It was actually a great-great-great-great grandpa or something like who was connected to Yevon. I'm not really sure about what he did, but Cibaneun's family are probably the only Al Bhed that have gotten along with the church of Yevon. Because of that, he didn't live at Home because his family was actually wealthy enough to live away from the rest of the clan. Because of their ties, they weren't forced to live in Bikanel with the rest of us."  
  
"And that doesn't bother you one single bit?" I seethed through my cigarette. "That his family got off the hook while our people were persecuted and sent to the desert to die?"  
  
"Hear me out, boy!" Cid tried to defend himself. "I was skeptical of him at first when he showed up. I think he came to me a little after that crazy boyfriend of Yuna's came back."  
  
"How does Rikku fit into all of this?!" Brother hollered, jumping up and down like someone who had escaped from a mental institution.  
  
"Son, do you know how I suddenly got all those new supplies and machina to rebuild Home with?"  
  
"Yes, you told me Rin loaned you some money."  
  
"Well...that was a little white lie."  
  
I didn't know what was more laughable. The thought of Rin actually loaning money to someone, or the fact that Brother was stupid enough to believe it.  
  
"Cibaneun was the one who gave us funds. The whole Zanarkand tour trip thing was a bust with Rikku and Yuna getting on my case about it and those damn monkeys that suddenly sprung up. Cibaneun heard about our plan to reconstruct Home and he came to me to help us."  
  
"I see. And what did he want in return for his 'charity'?" I sneered, throwing down my cigarette onto the ground and grinding it into the dirt with the heel of my boot.  
  
"...he wanted to meet Rikku," Cid answered finally. "At first, I wasn't comfortable with a funny-looking boy like this asking to meet my only daughter. But as the months went by, I saw that there's some good in the kid. He was helping the other workers by always encouraging them, and he's donated so much to our cause. After all of that, I decided that he would be a great husband for my little girl."  
  
"Why? Just 'cause his family is loaded?" I retorted while lighting up another cigarette.  
  
"Because he could provide for her, Gippal," Cid said as his eyes concentrated onto the ground below us. "I made a promise to my wife that I would take care of our children no matter what it took. I wasn't worried about Brother, although he can be a bit of a nutcase..."  
  
"Crid ib!" was Brother's reply.  
  
"But I was worried about Rikku, being that she's the youngest and our only daughter. I realized that I'm an old man, and I ain't gonna get any younger as the days go on. I won't always be there to keep my promise, and my son won't be able to keep it for me. That's why I arranged this marriage between Rikku and Cibaneun. I know that he could give her anything that she would ever need without a problem. She would be happy with a man that can treat her right."  
  
"She didn't look happy," I said, my hatred towards Cid disappearing a bit. I wasn't as angry with him as I should've been. Cid wasn't a selfish man; he would do anything for his kids, especially Rikku. "Why didn't you even tell her about this?"  
  
Cid sighed. "You try catching that girl! She's always flying around in that dang ship. It wasn't until I heard that she was staying with you that I decided to surprise her. I was hoping that she was gonna be happy, but I guess I was wrong."  
  
"But Cid, what if she doesn't WANT to go through with this arranged marriage? Rikku's not exactly the type to let people make decisions for her, y'know."  
  
"Well...I'm hoping that after she's done helping out with the Machine Faction, she'll finally want to settle down and see that Cibaneun would be a perfect husband."  
  
I knew that Old Man Cid was long overdue for a midlife crisis...but this is ridiculous.  
  
"You didn't answer my question. What if Rikku still doesn't want to be married to this guy, no matter what he could do for her?"  
  
Cid crossed his arms and thought hard. "Hmmm...well, then I don't know. An arranged marriage can make a mess of things when it's cancelled..."  
  
Then why did you arrange the stupid marriage in the first place?! Jeez...  
  
"But I guess that if she found someone that I knew could take good, even better, care of her, then I would call it off."  
  
That makes no sense whatsoever! If taking care of Rikku meant you had to have a fat wallet to Cid, then how many other gillionaires besides Cibaneun were there?!?  
  
Yevon, if you exist, I wanna say this to you: damn you. Damn you to the deepest reaches of the Farplane.  
  
"Gippal," I heard my name being called from the temple entrance. Nooj was standing there, signaling me to come inside.  
  
"Hey Gippal," Cid called behind me. I stood still to hear what he had to say. He looked like he was guilty, probably because he knew that Rikku wasn't exactly happy with him at the moment. "Damm ran dryd E teth'd sayh du syga ran ibcad."  
  
I nodded and then went back inside the temple with Nooj. When we were inside, the girls and Tidus were waiting.  
  
"You're still carrying that thing?" Paine asked  
  
I didn't know what she was talking about, until I saw the plush chocobo in my hands. I hadn't realized that I was holding it the entire time that Brother and me were arguing with Cid.  
  
"You said that you had a gift for Rikku," Nooj changed the subject. "Perhaps now is the best time to give it to her. We're going back to the party."  
  
"Hey, you think that there's any cake left--oww!"  
  
The High Summoner elbowed her idiot of a boyfriend, and all four of them left. I quickly went into my room and grabbed Rikku's wrapped present from my desk and with it and the stuffed animal, I knocked on her door.  
  
"Bmayca, E fyhhy pa ymuha!" I heard her voice say from the other side. I think I heard some sniffling in there, but I didn't leave.  
  
"Ed'c sa," I said, knowing that she would recognize my voice. "Lyh E lusa eh?"  
  
I took her silence as a 'yes', so I opened the door and stepped into her room. There she was, lying face down on her bed, the ends of her scarf sprawled against her almost bare back.  
  
"C'mon, birthday girl," I said, trying to cheer her up. "You didn't open all of your presents."  
  
"I don't care," she said, her soft voice muffled by her pillow. "I don't want anymore gifts, not after what my dad gave me!"  
  
I chuckled and took a seat on her bed. "Well, guess I can't blame you for that."  
  
"I hate him so much!!!" She whined, beating her fists onto the mattress.  
  
"You don't mean that, Rikku," I told her. I knew that she didn't mean those words. Whenever she said them, she never meant them. Rikku was too caring and sympathetic of a person to ever really hate someone.  
  
"...well...then I really don't like him right now!" She pouted like a little kid.  
  
I remembered my conversation with Cid, and then I felt guilt building inside of me. I couldn't sit there and listen to Rikku thrash her dad, not when I knew that he didn't mean to make her life a living hell.  
  
"...your dad didn't mean to make you angry, Rikku. He actually arranged this marriage because he was worried about you."  
  
Her face lifted off of her pillow, her braids dangling from her blue bandana. "Why?"  
  
I sat there for a half hour telling her everything. I didn't want her to get the impression that Cid had the intention to ruin her life on purpose. The old man and I had our differences, but we both had one thing in common: we would've done anything that we thought would make Rikku happy.  
  
I saw the understanding look on Rikku's face, which indicated she had forgiven her dad a little, if not any. But the misery still remained in her usually sparkling eyes.  
  
"...my Pops sure has some crazy ideas, huh?" she asked, pushing back a stray braid.  
  
"Who do you think Brother got it from?" I asked, making her giggle a little.  
  
But that sadness...I could still see it in her eyes...  
  
"What am I gonna do?" she hugged her knees tightly. "I can't exactly say 'no', not after all that Cibaneun has done for Pops. With the exception of him, the Al Bhed aren't really seen as good friends in the eyes of the Yevonites."  
  
I knew what she was saying. If she flat out denied marriage to a person who was respected by Yevon, there's bound to be some trouble between the Yevonites and the Al Bhed.  
  
"But...I'm not ready for marriage. Especially to someone that I don't know anything about...why did this have to happen on my birthday of all days?"  
  
I suddenly remembered my present, and I showed it to her. "Here. This is from me."  
  
She stared at me, but then broke into a smile and took my present onto her lap. She slowly tore off the yellow wrapping paper and she smiled again when she had finished opening it. She held my gift in her hands and examined it.  
  
"Wow, it's really pretty!" she exclaimed, but suddenly frowned. "...does it do anything?"  
  
"Yeah," I answered, laughing. I opened it, and as soon as I lifted the lid, a bright image suddenly appeared and music was softly playing.  
  
"It's Home..." Rikku whispered, gazing at the image happily. "Gippal...where did you get this?"  
  
"I made it," I said. I was telling the truth, too. I made her the gift a few weeks before her birthday. I carved a smooth rectangular box out of this really pretty crystal I had found while wondering around Macalania Woods. I heard that they were fading, so I decided to visit them one more time before they completely disappeared. I wanted to bring one of the crystal formations that were all over the woods as a souvenir, and I chose to use it to make Rikku's gift. After I used a few small machina parts, I installed one of my old spheres that I used to record Home with when I was younger, and the finishing touch that I added was that the music box could play a short version of the Hymn of the Fayth. I chose that song because I heard Rikku hum it several times before.  
  
It's funny. Whenever I work on a machina, I need to put a little of soul into it. When I was making Rikku's gift, I think that I had put my entire soul into it. I was tired in the end, but I was happy overall. All I thought about was her smile, and I was satisfied knowing that the words I couldn't say, the feelings that I had for her, were all in the form of the music box I had made.  
  
She stared at me with those mesmerizing eyes of hers, the emerald spheres gazing at me with a soft glow. "Dryhg oui, Gippal."  
  
Rikku threw her arms around my waist, her gift still in her lap. I responded by wrapping her small shoulders with one of my own arms.  
  
"Oh, and I wanna give you back this little fella," I gave her the plush chocobo, and her eyes widened when she saw it.  
  
"Gippal...your hand..."  
  
I looked down and saw blood smeared all over my fingers and palm. I also noticed that some of it had stained the yellow wings of the chocobo where I had gripped it.  
  
"Man...I'm sorry that I got blood on it-"  
  
Rikku's arms tightened around me, burying her beautiful face in against my chest. "I don't care!"  
  
Her little body heaved as she cried heavily, her tears soaking through my sweater. I moved the music box from her lap onto a place on her bed so it wouldn't break, and I held her close in a hug.  
  
"I can't go through with this!" She sobbed, clinging to me desperately. "I don't even love him, Gippal!"  
  
I felt like tearing Cibaneun limb from limb, but I just stayed there, running my fingers through her silky golden hair. "I know, Rikku...I know."  
  
For another hour or so, I didn't say a thing. I was too depressed to try and get her hopes up with lies, and I was too angry to go back to the party. All I cared about was that Rikku was crying, and I wanted to be there with her.  
  
For that short fragment in time, we forget Cibaneun and about the people that were outside the temple. We only knew that we were there for each other, and that was all that mattered to us.  
  
After she had gotten all out of her system, Rikku wiped her eyes and fixed her hair. She said that she wanted to go back to the party because she didn't want to worry any of the guests. After she insisted that she wanted to get out of her room, I finally gave in.  
  
"Don't look so serious," she scolded me. "It's a party, not a funeral!"  
  
"Whatever you say...Cid's girl."  
  
She rolled her eyes and laughed, returning to her old self. Rikku and I walked out of the temple and back to the party, where everyone was still having a good time dancing and socializing. All of her friends and mine were gathered in a circle near the item shop, and Cid was still talking to Cibaneun at the refreshment table. Even if she was smiling, I knew that Rikku was still miserable inside. She had to make the decision to either turn down the marriage of a respected man of Yevon to save her happiness, or marry him to avoid a nasty conflict between our people and the Yevonites.  
  
I felt sick to my stomach, the events of today going through my mind. I remembered waking up to find that all of the guests arrived, I remembered when my friends were teasing me about Rikku, when Cid had presented his 'gift', when I confronted him about Cibaneun...  
  
...if she found someone that I knew could take good, even better, care of her, then I would call it off...  
  
I was dumbstruck when I remembered Cid's words, a secret happiness swelling inside of me. I grabbed Rikku by the hand and took her quickly to where Cid and pretty boy were standing. I wanted to make sure that they would hear what I was about to say.  
  
"Hey people!" I shouted to the crowd at the top of my lungs. The guests fell silent and the music once again stopped. Rikku stared at me like I had gone crazy, and I felt everyone's eyes on us.  
  
"I've got something to say that I want everyone to hear," I said. Our friends were watching us, and so were Cid and Cibaneun. Perfect.  
  
I got down on one knee, holding Rikku's delicate hand with both of mine. I stared into her brilliant green eyes, completely focused on what I was going to do.  
  
"Rikku..." I spoke her name with a sense of compassion that I didn't know I had. "The past month that you've been here has made me realized how much I've missed you all those times when I wasn't with you. I didn't want to say all this before, but now...I want you to know how I feel about you. That's why I wanna tell you something..."  
  
It was dead silent, the breeze the only thing I heard. It was like...time had stopped and I felt like all of Spira was watching me.  
  
Well Gippal...you started this, so you might as well finish it...  
  
"Rikku...I want to be your husband."  
  
The sound I heard was of hell breaking loose. Everyone broke into a mixture of 'awwws' and chatter that I couldn't make out. The High Summoner had thrown her hands over her mouth in shock, AGAIN, and Tidus has once more spit out the soda he was drinking. Paine's red eyes had widened like they had done earlier, and Nooj and Baralai were both smiling as if they had known something that they didn't want to share with anyone else.  
  
I saw Cid gaping at Rikku and me, and Cibaneun was staring at me with a look that was anything but friendly.  
  
Heh, looks like you'll be having a bit of competition on your hands, pretty boy. I'm not gonna let this arranged marriage happen. No matter what anyone has to say about it.  
  
***AUTHOR'S NOTE***  
  
Man, it's 3:23 in the AM and I've just finished. See what you people make me do!  
  
Anyway, I'm in awe about all the great things you guys have to say about this fic. I really hope that this sudden change in events haven't made my story into a complete melodramatic sappy soap opera. I just wanted to make it interesting.  
  
Well, I'm going to bed. Enjoy!  
  
Translations:  
  
Cra ech'd ouin feva- She isn't your wife  
  
Dryd sygac dfu uv ic- That makes two of us  
  
Crid ib- Shut up  
  
Dryd'c lnywo- That's crazy  
  
Damm ran dryd E teth'd sayh du syga ran ibcad- Tell her that I didn't mean to make her upset  
  
Bmayca, E fyhhy pa ymuha- Please, I wanna be alone  
  
Ed'c sa... Lyh E lusa eh- It's me...can I come in  
  
Dryhg oui, Gippal- Thank you, Gippal 


	7. May the Best Man Win!

What I Wouldn't Do For You  
  
Chapter Seven: May the Best Man Win!  
  
"Rikku...I want to be your husband."  
  
The silence in the air had been broken by the uproars of the crowd around us. People just began talking non-stop as if they had witnessed a phenomenon or something. Our friends were in shock, except for those smart- asses Nooj and Baralai. I guess they weren't surprised as Yuna, Paine, and Tidus. I KNOW that neither of them was as stunned as Cid though. The old man looked like he was gonna have a heart attack. And Cibaneun...well, I'll just say that he wasn't too happy by my proposal. He didn't need to show it; I knew that he was pissed. Whenever a guy steals another guy's girl, there's bound to be a little tension.  
  
But Rikku wasn't his girl to begin with. Never has, and never will be.  
  
Now, you're probably wondering why I decided to come out and tell Rikku that I wanted to be her husband. Being the genius that I am, I realized something as Rikku and me were going back to the party. Old Man Cid said that he would call off the wedding if he knew some other guy could take better care of Rikku than Cibaneun could. Seeing that I didn't know many gillionaires and I wasn't exactly pals with many Yevonites other than Baralai, I decided that I would be the guy that would prove to Cid that his daughter would be happier and better off with someone other than that sissy.  
  
And not just someone: me. I'm not exactly the richest man in Spira, but I do know that I would put my life on the line for Rikku. I just have to show Cid that so she won't end up with someone that she didn't know anything about, and vice versa. And...this might sound selfish, but I don't want Rikku to be given away to anyone else. I didn't want to stand there and do nothing while the person who I cared about more than anything was slipping away from me.  
  
Nooj said that girls like Rikku didn't stay single forever. That's why I'm doing this. To ensure that she won't leave me.  
  
The air grew silent, and I had realized that everyone had stopped talking. They were all staring at Rikku as I held her hand in mine, waiting for her answer. She had her free hand clutching over her heart, like she was gonna have a heart attack along with her dad. I couldn't read her face. I couldn't tell whether or not she was angry or sad. All I wanted at that moment was her answer.  
  
I should've told her when I was alone with her, but the idea didn't hit me until now. I had to drop her a hint...  
  
"Rikku, I can't LET you go through with this ARRANGED marriage," I emphasized, trying to do my best not to sound awkward. "Instead of marrying Cibaneun, I want you to marry ME."  
  
Her emerald green eyes seemed to light up, and a smile suddenly appeared on her lips. I knew then that she had caught on.  
  
"Will you marry me, Rikku?" I finally asked to make it official.  
  
She smiled happily and pulled me back onto my feet. She nearly jumped into my arms, her hands wrapped tightly around my neck. I was shocked at first, but then remembering my little plan, placed my hands on her small hips.  
  
"Yes," she declared, loudly enough for her dad and Cibaneun to hear. "I will, Gippal."  
  
Once again, a chorus of gasps echoed from the crowd as if Rikku and I had sprouted two heads.  
  
Cid looked like he really WAS gonna just keel over and die after hearing his daughter's response. Cibaneun looked pretty serious, kinda like one of those statues on the Mi'hen Highroad.  
  
"...wait a minute," a familiar, idiotic voice chimed. "I thought Rikku was gonna marry Cinnabar. Does this mean she'll have two husbands?"  
  
"Tidus!" A girly voice cried, followed by a loud smack.  
  
"Ihpamejypma!!!" Cid hollered above the surprised crowd. He stomped through the party guests and pried Rikku off of me. "Not if I'm gonna have a say in all this!"  
  
"Vydran!" Rikku pleaded with him, her smile completely gone from her face.  
  
"Young lady, this doesn't concern you!" He snapped at her, and then dragged me by my arm into the temple. "Cibaneun, come with me!"  
  
Pretty boy did as he was told, dutifully following Cid like a trained dog. He didn't even look at Rikku when he walked past her. There is no way in hell that this guy was gonna be her husband.  
  
"You too, Brother!" He barked at the lunatic. "I need a witness!"  
  
Brother gave him a confused stare, but obeyed his father. Rikku was about to follow us until Cid stopped her.  
  
"Rikku, I said this doesn't concern you! Stay outside with your cousin until I sort this mess out!"  
  
Always the defiant one, Rikku stomped her foot. "No, I wanna come!"  
  
Cid glared at her sternly, giving her that 'I am your father and you will do as I say or else' look. Rikku must've taken the hint, because she stayed where she was. Even she knows when not to piss off her dad.  
  
She stared at me with her emerald green eyes as Cid tugged me away from the crowd. Yuna, Paine, and Tidus appeared around her in an instant, trying to console her and get some information out of her. But she didn't answer them. She was just staring at me as if it was the last time she was ever gonna see me. It was really...sad.  
  
The doors shut soundly behind all four of us, Cid finally releasing his death grip on my arm. I was cornered: the leader of my race fuming in front of me, Cibaneun on my left, and an indifferent Brother to my right.  
  
Man, was I in for it now.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!?" Cid exclaimed, making the other two guys flinch from the pure anger in his voice. "Proposing to my daughter right after I already announced that she's married-"  
  
"She isn't!" I yelled back. I was so sick and tired of even thinking of Rikku being married to Cibaneun.  
  
"She just might as well be!" Cid hollered. "I did all of this for her sake, and you screwed it up! What the hell is going through that head of yours?!"  
  
"Can't you see, Cid?" I asked, trying my best not to let my anger get the best of me. I figured that all of this yelling would get me nowhere, so I tried a different approach. "You can't force her into a marriage that she didn't want in the first place. Rikku can make decisions on her own, she doesn't need other people to make them for her."  
  
Cid threw an accusing finger at me, his face twisted in anger. "You, of all people Gippal, shouldn't be talking!"  
  
After hearing those words, I forget every effort to try and actually have a civil conversation with the old man. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Don't play dumb with me! The last thing I need is to be told how MY daughter feels after what some jealous ex-boyfriend did to her!"  
  
...jealous...EX-BOYFRIEND?!?  
  
"...wait a damn minute!" I nearly spat. "Is that what you think I am?!"  
  
"I KNOW you're one, boy," he stated matter-of-factly. Instead of looking downright pissed, Cid kinda looked more serious than he was before he had dragged me into the temple. "I did let Rikku make her own decisions, and I still do. I didn't say anything when I allowed her to date you for a little while because I thought that she would be happy. But when I saw how you hurt my little girl, I wanted nothing more than to kick my own ass for letting her be with you."  
  
I looked down on the floor, unable to bring myself to stare Cid right in the eye at that moment. I just felt so guilty over what he was saying.  
  
"Because I allowed her to make that particular decision and let her THINK that she was in love, she ended up being a mess after you broke it off with her. I thought that it was partially my fault for letting her go through with it all."  
  
I lifted my head up and saw that Cid was almost to the brink of falling on his knees and crying, but I knew he was too proud of a man to ever do that. Cibaneun had his head bowed, probably because he felt uncomfortable about the current conversation between me and the old man. Yevonite or not, Al Bhed don't like bringing up the past. Cibaneun, as much as I hated his guts, wasn't an exception.  
  
"So I arranged this marriage because...I knew that Cibaneun is a good man that can take care of my little girl. Sure, she might throw a fit during the first few weeks, but I know that he can't hurt her. Rikku might be eighteen years old today, but you know as well as I do that she's still a kid at heart. She doesn't know what's best for her, but I do."  
  
I was speechless. I felt like I had a huge lump in my throat. I knew that Cid had good intentions behind this otherwise crazy marriage of his...but there was still something that didn't seem RIGHT about it...  
  
After a moment of silence, Cid spoke to me. "That's why I have to ask you, Gippal, to go in front of that crowd and say that it was a horrible prank that Rikku and you decided to pull."  
  
I nearly went spastic. It couldn't fall apart so soon, not now! I couldn't let Rikku get married to Cibaneun. It would be just plain wrong if I did.  
  
"...no."  
  
Cid and Cibaneun stared at me as if I had gone crazy like Brother.  
  
"...what did you say, boy?" Cid's heavily accented voice asked threateningly.  
  
"I said no," I repeated, focusing on him with my one good eye. "I meant it when I proposed to her, Cid. I want to be Rikku's husband."  
  
"You expect me to let YOU marry her after all you did?" Cid's voice remained at a calm level, but I knew it only took the wrong subject to make him yell.  
  
"Okay, I get the point. I was an asshole back then," I admitted. I could've sworn that I had just took a huge chunk out of my own ego, but I didn't care. "But I meant it when I said all those things to her."  
  
Cid shook his head, obviously not believing me.  
  
"It's the truth!" I insisted, pissed that the old man wasn't believing a word I said. "Cid, when have you ever known me to go back on my word?"  
  
I knew I began to persuade him when I saw that the angry grimace on his face began to falter. He knew as well as I did that a part of me still cared about Rikku. He also knew damn well that I never broke a promise to anyone. EVER.  
  
"I've always kept my word Cid, like I'm doing right now." My one good eye was focused on him so he could see how dead serious I was. "If I marry Rikku, I swear that I will protect her. I'll die first before I see anything happen to her."  
  
Cid's eyes diverted themselves away from mine as he turned around again, walking toward the temple doors. Anger and sadness were taking over me as I watched him leaving with Cibaneun at his side.  
  
No, he couldn't do this to me...he just couldn't! There's no way that I was gonna allow a man who was already over the hill to ruin my life when I still had a future with Rikku ahead of me. Just because he lost the woman he cared about didn't mean he could take mine away from me!  
  
"I LOVE HER DAMN IT!!!"  
  
My anguish echoed off the temple ways and returned to my ears. I felt like falling on my knees and tugging my hair with my fists. I couldn't even breathe normally; my heart was racing and threatened to jump out of my chest. I was just so scared that I really was gonna lose her, that she was gonna walk out of my life without knowing how I truly felt about her...  
  
The room was silent. Cid stared at me as if I had done something horribly unbelievable. Cibaneun gaped at me through thick, blonde bangs in disbelief. I just stood there, my body shaking with fear that Rikku really was gonna be taken away from me.  
  
"...keja res y lryhla, Vydran."  
  
My eye shot to Brother who was staring at his father with a pleading look on his face. It wasn't a look that was pleading for a machina part or something stupid like that. He was pleading for his sister.  
  
"Brother..." Cid muttered his son's name.  
  
The lunatic looked straight into his dad's eyes, never tempted for one moment to look away. "I trust him, Vydran. He might be rude, stubborn, arrogant, pushy..."  
  
I rolled my eyes. I just KNOW that I'm gonna be loved in this family...  
  
"But he is good person. Gippal would protect Rikku. I know it."  
  
"...you realize that if he DOES do something to hurt your sister," he paused and threw a venomous look at me, "that you'll be somewhat responsible for trusting him with Rikku?"  
  
He nodded. "E ghuf."  
  
Cid stared at his son, but his shoulders slumped over and he let out a heavy sigh. Cibaneun was gawking at him with this shocked look on his face, and I knew what had happened.  
  
He was gonna hold off the arranged marriage. At least for a little while.  
  
"Boy," he addressed me, and I did the smart thing and paid attention. "If I see my little girl crying, I'll blame you and I'll make sure that you'll wish that you were never born."  
  
I nodded solemnly. I was confident that I wouldn't do anything to make Rikku sad. Not like pretty boy standing next to him.  
  
"...is the wedding off then, Sir Cid?" The Yevonite Al Bhed asked, looking worried.  
  
"For now, Cibaneun." He gave an apologetic look to the younger Al Bhed. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. My daughter's happiness is at stake."  
  
I bit back the urge to say something. As if Rikku's happiness wasn't at stake when Cid arranged the wedding in the first place...  
  
Cibaneun bowed his head and his long bangs covered his dark green eyes. But in a second, he returned to his normal, confident self and smiled. "I understand."  
  
"So, what's gonna happen?" I asked, wondering what Cid was gonna do now that the wedding was delayed.  
  
He crossed his arms and looked serious. "Well, I figured it out. What I'll do is examine the both of you and decide who Rikku is better off with."  
  
I frowned. "How are you gonna do that? Spy on us?"  
  
"Believe me, I wish I could," Cid said, "But I still gotta help with the re-construction of Home. Rikku will stay with you for the rest of the two months that Brother traded with you for that blasted machina..."  
  
Brother pouted and muttered a curse in Al Bhed.  
  
"After that, this is what I'm gonna do. Rikku will come back Home after she helps out here. I'm gonna let each of you take her out on a date, and after that, Rikku will tell me everything that happened. I'll know then, from my own daughter's words, who would make a better husband for her."  
  
...WAY too idealistic to work out. As much of a simple and effective plan that Cid had, it wasn't gonna work. Rikku could easily get out of marrying Cibaneun by lying to her dad that she had a lousy date with him. Cid couldn't be that stupid...could he?  
  
"You both will take turns going out with her," Cid informed us. "You have until the anniversary of the Eternal Calm to convince me which one of you Rikku is happier with. Is that all right with the both of you?"  
  
I nodded, and so did Cibaneun.  
  
"Okay then, all you have to do is shake hands, and that's that."  
  
We looked at each other, and I didn't hide my disgust for him. He didn't react to my hostility; his face was still wearing a calm and stoic expression. Our hands extended to each other and met in a firm shake, both of us testing the other's strength. I glared at him while I did my best to crush his hand. Cibaneun did nothing. The guy didn't even flinch. He just looked back at me without a hint of anger or nervousness in his eyes.  
  
Later, we all returned to the party and met a crowd who was dying to know what had just happened. Cid told them all that the party was over, and all the guests had no choice but to leave. They grumbled as they deserted the temple, and Djose was quiet again, except for the electrical current of a machina or two. Cid took Rikku aside and told her everything, while I did the same by sharing all the info with her friends and mine.  
  
"...that's it?" Paine asked in surprise.  
  
"That doesn't sound like Uncle Cid..." the High Summoner thought out loud.  
  
"So, Rikku's not getting married?" Tidus asked me. I shook my head.  
  
"No, not until the anniversary of the Eternal Calm. By then, either Cibaneun or me will be her husband..."  
  
I trailed off, wanting to spit on the idea of Cibaneun being married to Rikku. Marriage was something sacred to my people. She shouldn't have to be forced into it like that, especially to a complete stranger.  
  
"Heh, then Rikku is as good as yours!"  
  
My head shot up and I gawked at the stupid blonde guy. Man, the High Summoner sure knows how to pick 'em, huh?  
  
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, a bit too defensively. "She isn't mine. She isn't anyone's."  
  
"Okay, no need to be snippy," he replied with that idiotic grin on his tanned face. "There's no way Rikku could ever go for a guy like that Cinnabar. Besides, you've been meaning to ask her out on a date anyway, right?"  
  
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head as Nooj and Baralai exchanged glances and burst out laughing. Paine hid a snicker, and Yuna tried to keep her boyfriend from saying anything else stupid.  
  
"What gave you that idea?!" I yelled at him, intensifying my friends' laughter. I tell ya, if I didn't have one hell of a bad day, I would've shot them both at point blank.  
  
"By the way you guys act. You like her, right-OWWWWW!!!"  
  
"Tidus, that's enough!" The High Summoner shouted at him as Paine rolled her eyes.  
  
I gave my friends a threatening glare and they both shut up. It was the end of that conversation, thank Yevon.  
  
...okkaaay, now I KNOW that I had a long day. I just praised a god that I didn't believe in. I'd kill myself if I found out that Cibaneun and me had something in common...  
  
After everyone left and all of the members of the Machine Faction cleaned the mess from the party, I decided to go to bed. I opened the door, and I saw Rikku waiting for me with a huge grin on her face.  
  
I closed the door and stared at her in surprise. "...what?"  
  
She ran right to me and jumped onto me, latching her arms tightly around my neck in a death grip. "Dryhg oui, dryhg oui, dryhg oui!!!" She thanked me in Al Bhed and began to giggle insanely.  
  
I couldn't help but smile, but when my senses returned to me, I pried her off of my body. "For what?"  
  
She giggled again and smiled brightly. "For saving me from that arranged marriage! Pops told me everything, and I had to keep myself from jumping with joy afterward! Gippal, you're a genius!"  
  
I smirked. "Of course I am. Ya finally had to admit it, huh?"  
  
She rolled her eyes and playfully punched me in the arm. "Don't let it go to your head."  
  
My heart was swelling with happiness just looking into the emerald pools of her eyes. They were twinkling like they were bright stars. The crappy day I had seemed to melt away after seeing how happy Rikku was. She was back to her normal, cheerful self.  
  
"This is SO great!" she shouted ecstatically. "All we have to do is pretend that we're all lovey-dovey, and Pops will HAVE to call off the marriage permanently!!!"  
  
My grin faded when I heard the word 'pretend'. I've always HATED that word, just for the fact that it really was a word, but it sounded so FAKE. I didn't want things to be fake, especially Rikku's feelings toward me. If anything, I wanted her feelings to be genuine instead of pretend. I wanted her to love me like I loved her, but I had no way of knowing...  
  
"Gippal?" My thoughts were interrupted by Rikku's perky voice. She looked kinda worried. "You okay?"  
  
I threw on another grin and messed up her long, blonde braids. "Why wouldn't I be? You worry too much, Cid's little girl."  
  
She pouted while she tried to rearrange her braids. Her perky smile returned and she captured me in another hug. "Really...I can't tell you how grateful I am. Thanks, Gippal."  
  
My body began to tingle with a sensation that I only felt when I was around Rikku. I looked down on her with my one eye, and I felt content by how peaceful she was.  
  
I don't know what's gonna happen in the long run. I wasn't sure how I was gonna convince Cid that he's making a huge mistake by even considering that Cibaneun would be a good husband for Rikku. All I knew was that I wasn't gonna let Rikku leave me. Some way, she wasn't gonna marry Cibaneun. I promised myself that for Rikku's sake and mine.  
  
I placed my hands on the small of her back, feeling the smoothness of her skin.  
  
"Anytime, Rikku," I told her. "Anytime."  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE (well, rant actually)  
  
There, are you happy people? There's your update. But allow me to say two things:  
  
Please stop telling me to update soon. I'm happy that you guys enjoy the story, but the incessant strings of urging me to update isn't helping. As much as I love Gippal and Rikku, I DO have OTHER interests in OTHER things. I also get writer's block along with the need to do well in school and fill out scholarships. One word: RELAX. I'm not going to abandon this fic, so be patient, please. Telling me to update ASAP isn't much good, because that'll just pressure me to write something really fast and post it. Give me time and give me my space to insure yourselves that you'll enjoy reading. I want to give you guys a good experience with my story, so let me already.  
  
I'm happy with all of the reviews. This fic is picking up momentum, and just wait until you guys see the kinda dates I have planned for Rikku. Again, be patient and let me write them at my own pace. Good things come to those who wait. See ya!  
  
TRANSLATIONS:  
  
Ihpamejypma!!!- Unbelievable  
  
"...keja res y lryhla, Vydran."- Give him a chance, Father.  
  
E ghuf- I know  
  
Dryhg oui, dryhg oui, dryhg oui!!!- Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 


	8. Rikku's Perspective

What I Wouldn't Do For You  
  
Chapter Eight: Rikku's Perspective  
  
It's been another month since the whole incident with Pops and Cibaneun. I couldn't be happier that Gippal helped me out of that tight spot. If I actually had to marry a guy that I didn't know ANYTHING about whatsoever, I think that I would throw myself off the Celsius. Not that Cibaneun is bad looking; I think that he's rather cute. He seems like a gentleman, and he's really polite.  
  
It's just that as I said, I don't know anything about him. He could probably make a good husband, but for the right girl. And I'm not her.  
  
I mean, c'mon! I'm eighteen and single, and I like to keep it that way! A girl that has blossomed into her womanhood shouldn't have to be weighed down by the chains of marriage! I would rather lose all my respect points or face Vegnagun again if I had to be some perfect little housewife who is only expected to have dinner on the table before her husband comes home. Oh, I plan to get married, but not now. And I'd rather that I would marry the guy that I WANTED to spend my life with, not someone that Pops handpicked especially for me.  
  
Yep, eighteen and single. Once I get this whole problem with the arranged marriage worked out, I'm gonna hit the town! I'm gonna go to the greatest clubs in Luca and dance and kick back a few drinks until the sun comes up! I don't need to have a husband to make me happy!  
  
...although, I have to admit that I get lonely sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I like to have fun. But not wanting a husband doesn't mean that I don't want someone right there beside me.  
  
C'mon girls, y'know what I mean! That great guy who sticks by you no matter what, and thinks you're beautiful even if you looked like you were swallowed by a sandworm and spat right back out. That guy who is fun to hang out with and makes you laugh until your sides hurt. And I guess it would be a bonus if he was hot.  
  
I've been all over Spira, and I haven't met Mr. Perfect. I swear, the few perfect guys in this world are like a dying race or something. I looked and looked, but I never found that one person who I could imagine being with. The guys I've met are either too serious, or just plain perverted.  
  
Talk about slim pickings, huh?  
  
...but...for the longest time, I really thought one person I knew was actually the perfect guy for me. I was so sure, 100% absolutely positively CERTAIN.  
  
That person was Gippal, emphasis on WAS. I always thought that he was really cute and totally fun to be around with. You just can't be gloomy around that guy because he was always laid-back. Plus, he was hot. That spiky blonde hair and that mysterious eye-patch made him really handsome.  
  
He made me feel special when we dated. I was sixteen then, and I thought that I was in love. Y'know, that feeling when you're all warm and nice inside, when you feel that nothing can go wrong? Aside from his constant joking and his tough-guy act, he wasn't a bad person. I believed that there was a softer side of him that he did his best not to show because he was a guy, and supposedly guys don't show their sensitivity.  
  
I was head-over-heels for him. I used to feel that I could've actually married him one day. That was how much I was in love...  
  
...until the jerk tore my heart out of my chest and broke it. I mean he BROKE it, completely destroyed it, and just absolutely DEMOLISHED IT. There weren't even pieces of the pieces.  
  
Needless to say, I was heartbroken. Like any girl would've done in my position, I asked him why.  
  
And he answered, "Because I can't be tied down to a girl who's constantly traveling all over Spira."  
  
...first of all, who said that I was tying him down?! What am I, some kind of burden to that egomaniac? Second, it's my job! I was helping out people in Spira and teaching them how to use machina! I mean, hello! These people lived in an era where machina were forbidden from their religion. It's not likely that they would know how to even assemble one! Third, Gippal could've just TOLD me he felt that way instead of dumping me like that! How was I supposed to know that I was upsetting him? It's not like I can read minds or something!  
  
Of course, being me, I didn't tell him any of that. I just nodded my head and said 'okay', when things really weren't okay at all. I spent quite a lot of time on the Celsius in my room crying my eyes out. I didn't see anybody for that whole week, not even Brother, Buddy, or Shinra. I didn't even contact Yunie. Brother tried to get the truth out of me, but I just told him to go away. He would still bug me, and it got so bad that he told Pops about it. Before I knew it, I was summoned back to Bikanel Island. Pops was there with a serious look on his face, but once he saw how sad I looked, he softened up. He told me that I was supposed to be a strong girl because our people looked up to me. He also said that I had to stop crying, or else he would've started doing the same thing.  
  
And I can't stand to see Pops cry. He did it once at Mom's funeral, and it really tore me up inside.  
  
So I told him about Gippal. I swear, it took every ounce of his control to keep himself from finding him and ripping him to pieces. After I was finished, he said that he would track Gippal down and give him "a serious talking to". And that meant that Gippal wouldn't be likely to walk on two feet for a while. So I had to beg Pops not to.  
  
I wiped my tears away, and smiled, even if I didn't feel like smiling. I told him that I would get over Gippal because he wasn't worth moping over. I knew Pops didn't believe me, but he didn't say anything. He just hugged me and told me that if I ever wanted to get some serious payback, I just had to give him the word.  
  
I never gave him the word, because I knew it wouldn't be right. As much as I didn't want to break up, I couldn't change Gippal's decision. He's his own person, and it would be wrong for me to make him date me because I was sad. If I didn't make him happy, then I didn't want to bother him anymore.  
  
So I began to start smiling more and laughing more. If I became the bubbly, energetic Rikku everyone knew me to be, then my family and friends would stop worrying about me. I kept saying to myself that Gippal wasn't a reason to stop living, and I still tell myself that.  
  
It still hurt, but I got over it. Gippal and I became friends, like we were before we began dating. We would joke around and make fun of each other like we always did. We pretended that we never dated.  
  
That went on for a year or so. Then Yunie decided to travel around with me and Paine, and then we formed the Gullwings. It was great, it really was! I got to see different places and all that fighting with fiends kept me in shape! Oh, and the fact that we were always hunting for spheres kept me busy, meaning that it made me forget some rather unpleasant thoughts.  
  
For a while, everything was great. Me and my best friends were traveling around Spira together. I loved the freedom. When I was on board the Celsius, I felt like I was flying. That I didn't have to live on the ground again, where all my problems seemed to be.  
  
I was flying away from him...away from Gippal...  
  
So wasn't I surprised when Pops arranged a marriage for me? I swear, it took every little bit of my control to keep myself from ripping his head off.  
  
But what surprised me even more was when HE proposed to me. And I accepted.  
  
I did it on a whim, to be honest. I always dreamed that my perfect guy would declare his love for me in front of all my friends and family. When I was younger, I imagined that it was Gippal. And there he was, kneeling and taking my hand into his...it was like a dream, despite the reality that Gippal was only buying time so we could figure something out that would get me out of marrying Cibaneun.  
  
Until my Pops dragged him into the temple. I was worried then. Yunie and Paine tried to calm me down as I waited outside of Djose. I wanted nothing more than to barge in there and know what Pops and Gippal were saying. But Baralai and Nooj held me back. They said that Gippal could take care of himself, and that he would come out soon.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity to me, they finally came out of the temple. Pops pulled me aside from the party and he told me everything. I almost wanted to jump into the air and burst out laughing, but I knew that that would destroy any chances of me avoiding the marriage.  
  
When everyone left, I was so relieved that I had to thank Gippal. I was so happy: if Pops thought that I was in love with someone else, than he would have to call of the marriage. As much as I hate to admit it, I AM his 'little girl'.  
  
...I wonder, why would Gippal want to help me? A little part of me wanted to think that he still liked me, but I think that's impossible. For one, he's an over-confident playboy. Second, I think he's WAY too committed to machina than he is to girls. And that's putting it lightly.  
  
So it's been almost another month since my birthday. It's the same: wake up, put up with Gippal's teasing, fix and assemble machina.  
  
Except today was different. I had a visitor.  
  
It all began when I was reading over a manual with a few of the other Faction members. I saw something caught my eye, and then there he was.  
  
Cibaneun, dressed in those funny robes of his, was there, smiling at me.  
  
He approached me, completely unfazed by all the strange looks the Faction members were giving him. Rumor has it that Cibaneun had connections with the church of Yevon. To most Al Bheds, he is seen as a traitor.  
  
And that's exactly how the Faction members saw him.  
  
"Good morning, Lady Rikku," he greeted me politely.  
  
I was surprised, and on top of that I didn't know how to react. This was the guy that Pops wanted me to marry, and he's also the same guy that I would rather keep a good distance from.  
  
"Um...hi." I answered him lamely. "What are you doing here?"  
  
His dark green eyes looked right at me, the sun glinting on his blonde hair. I have to admit that his hair was strange: most Al Bhed guys don't wear it that long. I mean, his hair wasn't 'Yuna' long, but it was pretty long by Al Bhed standards.  
  
But...I thought his hair was kind of cute. It was different.  
  
"I wanted to talk to you," he said, earning murmurs from the Faction members. "I mean, if you weren't too busy. If you are I can always leave and speak to you another time."  
  
The way he spoke...he sounded like a very considerate person.  
  
"I'm not THAT busy," I admitted, feeling sorry for the poor guy. A bunch of the members were cracking jokes in Al Bhed and throwing disapproving stares at his way.  
  
"So, you wouldn't mind taking a short walk with me?"  
  
I bit my lip. What was I going to do? This is the man that my Pops unintentionally doomed me with...  
  
...but he's so nice! I should hate him, kick him, yell at him...but I couldn't. Cibaneun was too much of a gentleman. I don't know why he helped Pops in exchange for marrying me, but he didn't deserve to be treated like dirt.  
  
So, much to the surprise of the Faction members, I agreed. Cibaneun and I left the temple and started to walk on the road that led to the Moonflow. To our luck, the weather was beautiful, and the fiends weren't acting up today.  
  
Not that I was worried. Paine might have a big sword and Yunie her pistols, but I have my trusty daggers! There ain't a fiend that they can't cut through!  
  
Okay, enough of my boasting. Anyway, we were walking, neither of us saying anything for a while. I kept looking at him from the corners of my eyes, but his long bangs partially covered his face.  
  
"Thank you for taking a walk with me," he said. I could've sworn I saw his cheeks blushing when he said that.  
  
Whether I wanted to marry him or not, I couldn't deny that he was cute!  
  
"No prob," I cheerfully answered, stretching my arms. "It's nice to take a break from working on machina all day."  
  
"I am glad to hear that," he continued. He looked at me with a grateful expression in his dark green eyes. "I actually want to ride across the Moonflow when we get there. Would it trouble you to...?"  
  
I shook my head. "No, it's fine! I've actually haven't ridden on a shoopuf for a while."  
  
He smiled shyly. Funny how he seemed so confident around a bunch of glaring Al Bhed, but he seemed nervous around me.  
  
We walked in silence again for a while. We could hear the gushing of the Moonflow ahead of us as well as the laughter of a few kids.  
  
"I'm sorry if your feet are tired," he said suddenly. "I guess the walk to the Moonflow was longer than I had thought. I should've brought a carriage—"  
  
I threw my hands up in protest. "Whoa, settle down. You don't have to apologize for anything."  
  
He opened his mouth again, but closed it.  
  
Seeing how he was nervous, I giggled lightly. "Don't worry. Just relax."  
  
He was quiet, but then he smiled. "Yes. I'll do that."  
  
He talked to a Hypello at the dock, and then we boarded the carriage on top of the shoopuf. The Hypello driver muttered something that we couldn't hear (I still have trouble trying to understand what those guys say!), the blue creature shifted and we were off.  
  
The water glided around the shoopuf gracefully as we sat on the plush, comfortable seat. The slight breeze tickled my bare arms, and it passed through Cibaneun's shoulder-length hair, revealing a bit of his face.  
  
I'm not going to lie: he doesn't look half-bad for an Al Bhed Yevonite. His hair might be a little long, but he looks clean and well groomed. He didn't even know me that well, and already I can tell that he's a polite and sweet guy.  
  
...so not like Gippal, who spiked his hair and smelled of machina grease and oil. Gippal, who always called me 'Cid's little girl', and teased me on a daily basis.  
  
Cibaneun and Gippal were two different guys. They were the polar opposites of each other. Each one had characteristics that the other lacked.  
  
It's a small world, huh?  
  
"Lady Rikku?"  
  
I heard his voice from my thoughts, and I quickly snapped out of my daze. "Yeah?"  
  
Cibaneun looked worried as he spoke. "Are you all right? You look like something's bothering you."  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine!" I fibbed. "You're way too serious, y'know that? You shouldn't worry so much or else you'll get wrinkles."  
  
To my surprise, Cibaneun chuckled. "That's so like you."  
  
My eyes widened. What did he mean by that?  
  
"Huh?" I asked, confusion swelling inside of me.  
  
He smiled and brushed back a few loose strands of his hair. "Forgive me. What I meant was that it's so like you to reassure people the way that you do."  
  
I tilted my head to one side, listening as he continued.  
  
"From what I have seen, you seem like a person who puts other's troubles ahead of your own," he spoke, looking to the waters of the Moonflow. "When I see you, you're always smiling or laughing around people, as if you didn't have a care in the world."  
  
His eyes cast downwards, his hair spilling over his eyes again. "I...admire that. Whenever I am around people, I can never feel that happy or carefree because of my family's past. The Yevonites treat me like I'm a praetor, whereas the Al Bhed treat me like I'm some kind of horrible fiend."  
  
He looked at me again, a sad smile on his lips. "You probably hate me as well, knowing my connections."  
  
I shook my head frantically. "No, of course not!"  
  
"...but you are a respected member of the Al Bhed tribe."  
  
"So what?!" I stood up, placing my hands on my hips. "Just 'cause I'm an Al Bhed doesn't mean I hate your guts. So what if your family had connections with the Yevonites? That isn't any reason for you to be discriminated."  
  
He stared at me with those dark green eyes again, but I continued to rant. "It shouldn't matter what your ancestors did. The point is that you're NOT them. You can't help what they did, and even if you had wanted to, you wouldn't be able to stop them. The past is past, y'know?"  
  
A few more moments of silence passed between us, and I sat back down again. "Sorry, I get a little carried away."  
  
Cibaneun smiled and shook his head. "No, I should be sorry. You're absolutely right, Lady Rikku."  
  
A few pyreflies drifted in front of us, and he held out his hand to them. The glowing fayth began to dance above his palm, and then they silently flew away.  
  
"The past is past," he repeated what I had said. "Yes...that is all that matters..."  
  
We spent the rest of the shoopuf ride talking about little things. I told Cibaneun about my adventures with the rest of the Gullwings. I decided to leave the part about Shuyin and Vegnagun, though. Those aren't what I would call subjects that could break the ice.  
  
When we were back at the dock, Cibaneun walked me back to Djose. Even though I still was against the arranged marriage, I had a good time talking to him: he wasn't a bad guy at all.  
  
When he left, I thought that the best thing to do was to get back to work before Gippal scolded me. I was walking across the bridge to the temple, where I found the man himself waiting.  
  
"Hey, Gippal," I greeted casually. "What's up?"  
  
"Where were you?" he demanded to know, ignoring my last sentence.  
  
I was caught off guard. His deep voice was a lot more different now. It usually sounded cocky and arrogant...but now, it sounded quite dark.  
  
Like he was mad. At me.  
  
"I took a walk," I said.  
  
"With Cibaneun," he snapped, his green eye glaring at me. "That's what the Faction members said."  
  
"...yeah, so?"  
  
"Why'd you go with him?" he asked me, his face a few inches away from my own.  
  
"He asked me to." I simply answered, confused by the strange way Gippal was acting.  
  
"Do you have ANY sense in that head of yours, Cid's little girl?" he mocked me.  
  
I took a step back, but stood my ground. Why in Spira was he so angry?  
  
"What's your problem, Gippal?" I shot back.  
  
"We're supposed to pretend that we're a couple, remember?" he replied. "I thought you didn't want to marry that pretty boy."  
  
"I don't!" I yelled back.  
  
"Then why the hell did you take a walk with him?" he yelled.  
  
"Because if I didn't get him away from Djose, the Faction members probably would've ripped him apart!"  
  
"Oh, big loss," he retorted sarcastically, turning his back to me.  
  
"Geez Gippal, why are you being such an ass today?!" I screamed at him, feeling my last nerve slipping away from me.  
  
He whirled around and stared me straight into my face with one good eye. "And why are you defending him?"  
  
"Because you act like he's the freaking plague or something," I argued. "He isn't that bad of a guy."  
  
"If that's what you think, why not marry him then?"  
  
My hands curled up into fists.  
  
"If he's not such a bad guy, why don't you just tell Cid that you changed your mind and you wanna go through with the wedding?"  
  
I bit my tongue. Arguing with Gippal wasn't going to do me any good...  
  
"I'm sure that he'll be happy to hear that his darling little girl wants to be a traitor's wife—"  
  
Before I knew it, my hand left my side and I slapped Gippal across his face. The sound was clear and distinct, and reverberated through the air.  
  
Gippal just stood there, holding his cheek with one gloved hand. My hand lowered itself as I felt the hot tears rolling down my face.  
  
"Y-you...you can be so mean, y'know that?"  
  
That said, I ran away from him and to the temple. I ignored the bewildered stares of the Faction members as I bolted past the doors and into my room. I locked it and threw myself on my bed, the tears dripping down my cheeks and soaking my pillow.  
  
I hate Gippal so much. I hate how insensitive he can be, how much of a jerk he is...  
  
...but the one thing that I hate about him the most is that I can't hate him at all.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
  
Thanks for being so patient with the updates, guys. I hope this chapter makes up for my tardiness. I know that it's not very good, but I wanted to make things a bit more exciting and write from Rikku's perspective since most of the story is from Gippal's.  
  
Hopefully, you've enjoyed it. I know it's kinda angsty, but I was inspired.  
  
See ya! 


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